Far In The Future
by SilverDawn2010
Summary: "But Cream, you said your Mom - " Her soft lips cut him off, and Tails succumbed to her sweet yet forbidden kiss. His own desires and curiosity were killing him... "She doesn't have to know... and you've made me so happy, should anything else matter?"
1. The Asking

Far In The Future

Spinoff to "Tying the Knot"

.

Chapter 1: The Asking

* * *

Today was the day.

That one thought dominated Tails' normally scattered and full mind as he made his way through a large, open meadow, stopping only to add some colorful objects to his growing collection. Fresh and healthy blades of grass wilted in protest to his red and white shoes crushing them as he strolled through. His baby blue eyes were busy scanning the multi-colored flowers, trying to decide if a yellow tulip would brighten up his bouquet or ruin it. But unfortunately the only thing Tails knew about flowers was that a certain beautiful rabbit loved them, and so he decided to add it.

Yes, today was the day when he was going to suck it up, swallow his nervousness, and finally ask his long-time crush, Cream the Rabbit, out on a date.

No biggie, right? After all, he'd known her for... was it seven years now? So it wasn't like they were complete strangers, as Cream had come with him and Sonic on their adventures in the old days. And she'd even lived with him for six months, once the cottage, which she shared with her mother Vanilla, had been destroyed by Eggman. At the very least, Cream was a very good friend... and Tails had had feelings for her for a _long_ time. How could he not? Cream was quite simply the most beautiful, sweetest, kindest girl he had ever met.

But she wasn't so close of a friend that she was practically family (like his big brother Sonic and sister-in-law Amy). No, him and Cream becoming family was something that would happen much, much later... far in the future, certainly.

Tails felt heat come to his face as he pictured himself and Cream married with children, little foxes and rabbits running around...

He shook the image out of his head vigorously and turned his thoughts back to the situation at hand, hoping his blush would fade. Why, he could barely work up the nerve to ask the girl out, and he was already dreaming of them being married? _Getting ahead of yourself, there, Tails..._ Right now he just needed to make his way over to her new house, and finally cure the curiosity that was killing him. That was the first step.

Looking down at his bouquet that held every type of flower Tails knew of - and some he didn't - the fox decided that he was ready. Since Cream's new house wasn't that far from his, there was no need to take the Tornado and waste gas. He would be able to get there just by flying himself.

_I can do this, I know I can... _Tails tried to encourage himself as his namesakes helicoptered him through the bright blue sky. _It won't be that hard, I'll just knock on her door, hand her the flowers, and ask if she wants to go out with me... and then, she'll say yes... I hope..._

He suddenly recalled the unprompted advice that Sonic had tried to give him (the hedgehog thought he was an expert on women now that he was married, apparently): _"Don't worry, little bro, just be yourself, be calm, and Cream'll be happy you asked her. The girl obviously has the hots for you, she's just waiting for you to make the first move!" _

Of course, that's what Sonic had said _after_ he'd teased Tails mercilessly about his "cute little crush" and how he was "growing up". Which Tails didn't mind, he was used to it. In fact, he was coming to miss all the time he used to spend with his big bro, now that Sonic was married and lived away from him. At first, it'd been a big step and Tails had pined for the old days... but now, he was used to being independent and making it on his own. He was growing up and doing his own thing, no longer in Sonic's shadow anymore. And Tails was coming to love living like this much better.

A certain mahogany colored roof that Tails had memorized suddenly came into his line of sight, and the foxes heart caught in his throat. Oh man, he was really about to go and do this thing. His gloved hands gripped the clump of flowers in his hand tighter, and he winced as the thorns pricked through the cotton into his skin.

As soon as Tails' shoes hit the dirt, his twin tails stopped twirling and flowed behind him. He sized up the door, which looked larger than it ever had, before sighing again and making his way up the driveway to knock softly, just three times. The bouquet found its way around his back as Tails waited for his crush to open the door.

A few hopping-footsteps later, the wooden door swung open, revealing a pretty teenage rabbit. Tails blinked at her appearance, as she was even more beautiful in the flesh than in his memory. One of her dainty, slender ears was resting on her shoulder, looking so soft that Tails felt a sudden urge to reach over and caress it. But of course, he was too stunned by the rest of Cream's appearance to move: her face, which held light traces of makeup, even though she really didn't need it, her glowing and warm chocolate eyes, her body which had the not-so-subtle changes thanks to puberty.

"Hi Tails," Cream managed to say, even as a grin overtook her face.

She took in his cute face and giggled, noticing how nervous he looked. Cream had always found it adorable when Tails got all shy and blushed like he was now. Of course, he'd always had soft, boyish features, but now they were starting to become more firm. The fox was also getting taller (Cream was eye-level with his nose) and his honey and ivory fur was getting longer and softer. In short, the fox was just as cute as he'd always been.

Cream had been hoping that Tails would come and see her today, as her mom was at work, and Cream had been bored to tears. Everything that she owned was just seeming so... old and babyish. The girl was thirteen and growing up, and she was_ dying_ for more excitement in her life. Now that her best friend had become a mother, Cream hadn't seen too much of Amy, as the older girl was busy taking care of three-year-old twins. And so when Eggman wasn't attacking, Cream was left with nothing to do.

So Tails, with Cream's huge crush on him, was really all that she had for entertainment right now. She would have asked him out herself if her mom wasn't so darn strict about these things...

"Come in," Cream implored and reached to take his arm, even though she noticed both of his hands were behind his back. Oh, what could he be hiding?

Tails blushed at her forwardness, and struggled to keep the bouquet hidden from view as he stepped inside.

"Chao chao?" A baby blue chao asked as he flew in from the kitchen and hovered near the couple.

"Look who's here, Cheese!" Cream told her pet. "Tails!"

"Chao chao, chao chao _chao_!" Cheese giggled and zipped away, as he knew full well how Cream felt and that she wanted to be left alone with the boy.

The scent of an apple pie baking hit Tails' nostrils, but before he had time to ask, he had to turn as Cream kept trying to peek behind him.

"What did you bring?" Cream asked, her chocolate eyes wide with hope and wonder.

"Um, well..." Tails swallowed nervously, but knew there was no way out of it now. "I... picked you some flowers," he admitted softly, shyly, and slowly revealed the large bouquet.

"Oh Tails!" Cream exclaimed and reached for her mouth in surprised delight, happiness flooding her heart.

Tails blushed again as Cream's small, soft hands reached for his and brushed his during the transfer. He had to smile, though, at how joyful she looked, from such a simple gesture.

Cream continued to stare at the large bouquet of freshly picked flowers. Every color of the rainbow and then some was represented among the blossoms. "Did you pick them for me?"

"_Yeah_... do you like them?" Tails asked, kicking his shoe back and forth nervously.

Her head bobbed up and down vigorously, causing her ears to bounce. "Of course I do, you know how much I love flowers. Thank you so much!"

And with that, Cream broke the remaining space between them and gathered Tails into a warm, loving hug. Tails was wondering how much more he could blush, but he couldn't deny that he certainly liked to feel Cream's small but strong arms holding onto his back. Chuckling nervously, Tails raised his own arms up to pull the girl even closer against his body. He couldn't help but inhale her scent - she smelled like honeysuckle, but much sweeter than the bunch he'd picked as a gift.

A giggle escaped Cream as she noticed how Tails' namesakes were swishing back and forth... the movement had always made her heart do somersaults. She watched his tails in awe, wondering just how soft the fur on them was... maybe one day he'd let her touch and feel them. Just when she was about to reach for them, Tails broke the hug.

"Uh, Cream... I... didn't... just... come to give you flowers," he stumbled over his words, not able to meet her eyes. Why was this so hard?

Cream tilted her head in confusion. "Oh?"

"I... well, I was wondering... would you like to... um, well, er... go out sometime?"

Cream's eyes got so huge that Tails was immediately remorseful of his words. But the rabbit was not shocked in horror... but happiness._ Oh my gosh, Miles Tails Prower the Fox did not just ask me out!_

"I mean, you don't have to-"

"Oh Tails, I would _love_ to go out with you, thank you for asking me!" Cream said, and pulled him back into a hug. She nuzzled against the soft, long fur on his chest, fully enjoying the velvety texture against her muzzle.

The fox wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly, and had to blush at her loving contact. "You would?"

"Yes! You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to ask me..." she admitted, and then blushed herself when she realized what she'd just confessed.

Relief flooded Tails' poor little anxious heart, and he sighed. "Good... so, um... what do you want to do?"

Cream bit her lip and looked back into Tails' lovely blue eyes. "Um... I dunno. What do _you_ want to do?"

"I dunno... what do_ you _want to do?" Tails continued to play, and the two of them burst into a giggle fit. "No, I'm just kidding... how does the park sound?"

"That sounds great," Cream said happily. Honestly, this girl would go anywhere, just to get out of this house and spend some time with Tails.

And with that, the fox and rabbit left to go on their first official date, holding hands and smiling sweetly at the other.

... & ...

It had been such a long time since Cream had had this much fun. Instead of being cooped up and bored, she felt like she was alive again, just by spending time with Tails at both the park and later at the movies. The two had fun, laughing and joking and holding hands. It really wasn't much, but it was a start. But at the end of the day, just as the sun was setting, Tails knew it'd be time to bring Cream home. As much as he wanted to stay out with her, he knew he didn't want to push his luck any more than he already had.

"Good bye, Tails, thanks. I had a great night," Cream said at the end of the evening, but remained planted on her porch with no sign that she was about to go inside, hoping that Tails was thinking what she was.

One look at the way he kept staring down at his feet, though, confirmed her suspicions that he _was. Please kiss me, Tails... I want to know how that feels so badly...  
_

Shyly, Tails lifted his eyes to meet hers. _Oh man, look at her, she's so pretty... I want to kiss her so badly... but what if I miss or..._

Seeing he needed a little bit of encouragement, Cream started leaning forward herself. Oh, his lips looked so soft, and all the girl wanted right then was to feel them sweetly pressed against hers...

Seeing her desire matched his, Tails took a deep breath to try and calm his rapidly beating heart, and extended his neck out. He gave her hands a squeeze to try and steady both of them. His nose brushed against hers, and was rewarded with not only the soft touch but her heavenly floral scent. Tails blue eyes were now only a few inches from Cream's brown ones, until the girl veiled them and puckered her lips, fully expecting the best moment of her life in the next second -

The door suddenly swung open.

"_Cream the Rabbit!_"

Both teens immediately broke contact and blushed profusely as Vanilla regarded them sternly.

"M-mom!" Cream stuttered as Tails let go of her hands and took a few steps back, refusing to look at her. She could feel her heart hammering even louder, though not from anticipation but from fear...

"Where have you_ been _young lady?" The mother asked fiercely.

Cream blushed even more as she remembered that she hadn't left a note. Oh, darn, how had she been so stupid? She'd just been so excited when Tails had asked her out, she hadn't even thought of what her mom would think...

"I was just with Tails," she said defensively, but shrunk a little from Vanilla's anger. She really hated to be in trouble, and it wasn't something she was used to.

Vanilla's eyes drifted from her daughter to Tails, who was still blushing and looking away. With Tails? A boy? Oh... were they on a date? Vanilla bit into her lip, but at the look of obvious remorse on Cream's face, she remembered how worried she'd been, and was just glad to see her daughter safe and sound.

"Oh, Cream..." she said much more tenderly and wrapped the rabbit in an unsuspecting hug. "I'm just glad you're okay... I was so worried when you weren't home when I got here, and I was afraid I'd have to call someone..." Vanilla patted her daughter's back and stroked her ears, relived that she wasn't hurt. Her eyes opened after a second, and then fell on Tails. Her heart sped up again in worry as she wondered what else they may have been doing... or might have done...

"Good night, Tails... please make it home safely, dear," she told the boy, and he immediately nodded and left, feeling embarrassed and like he'd just dodged a bullet.

Cream wanted to turn and thank him for the date again, but Vanilla was holding her too tightly. "I'm sorry, Mom..." she apologized, and meant it. "I didn't mean to worry you... I'll tell you next time I go out..."

"It's alright Creamy, but honey... you and I need to have a _talk."_

Cream's stomach dropped down to her feet at that word, and braced herself for a lecture as she walked back inside...

* * *

**Author's Notes - **Yeah~, so I know I said that I wasn't going to write this next, but inspiration has it's own mind. None of my other ideas were as clear as this one was. So here we are! The spinoff to Tying the Knot (which, if you haven't read, don't sweat it, but know there will be quite a few references to that story, and Passion, which is the original.) This story is, what happens to Tails and Cream in the aftermath of those two stories. I feel it was just begging to be written. This takes place 7 years after the games, and so about 2 years after the end of Tying the Knot.

As far as couples go, this story will be mainly Taiream (my first time doing a story mostly about them... but I've written about them so much I think I can pull it off), but there will also be some SonAmy (oh c'mon, it's ME... and I don't get to write those two married, like ever!) and one more minor couple that will be a surprise. :3 There will also be too much Sonic/Tails brotherly and some Amy/Cream sisterly and Amy/Vanilla friendship.

That's all for the intro, stay tuned...


	2. When You're Older

Trinita, TrumpetGirl818, Mana the Cat Magician, Tyranifex, 01sonamy01, bk00, JackleTheKitsune, Prominence Flare, AutoKnight01, holospartoi258, Delta2-1, Novus Umbra, poka: 

Ah, my super awesome, incredibly loyal reviewers! Thaaanks~, Love ya! I know that I have some readers who are like diehard Taiream (this one's for you guys) and some readers that are iffy on the couple, but my hope is that you will all enjoy my story!

I'm sorry about the way I'm writing Tails and Cream... picturing them as teenagers is not that easy to do, for me at least. Plus, they're gonna seem a bit OOC, but that can't be helped, they're older. (You can't tell me a six year old and thirteen year old are gonna act the same way...) And that's sorta the point of this story... it's like a coming of age thing. But you'll see that as we go on...

Chapter 2: When You're Older

* * *

Two pairs of shoes scuffed their way across the carpet, the leading pair firm, the following pair dragging. Cream kept her eyes trained down to the ground, her stomach cold with dread. She knew that she should have left a note telling her mother of her whereabouts before she'd left, but it'd just slipped her mind. But it wasn't really that big of a deal, was it? She was safe now... and nothing had happened. So why did her mother have such a stern look on her face?

Vanilla sat down on one end of the couch, smoothed down her skirts, and regarded her daughter with worried eyes. Ever since that whole incident with Sonic and Amy a few years ago, Vanilla had dreaded this day... the day when her own little girl would grow up and start capturing boys' hearts. It had actually come later than she'd thought (so that was one thing to be thankful for) but now that it was here... Vanilla still felt unprepared, and unwilling to lose Cream so fast.

This was something that she'd lost countless hours of sleep to over the past few years, thinking that one day, Cream would be out spending close, intimate time with boys... and Vanilla wouldn't be able to watch and make sure that Cream behaved herself. It wasn't that Vanilla didn't trust Cream to behave... it was just that, well, Cream was still young and innocent. And Vanilla had witnessed firsthand and up close what _Amy_ had gone through when_ she_ was innocent and Sonic had taken advantage and left her pregnant. So Vanilla knew the dangers of careless dating and hookups at a young age... as well as the hardships of being a single mom, by her own personal experience.

The last thing she wanted was to have her own daughter follow in Amy's footsteps and become an unwed teenage mother. It would be too much of a burden on her, heck on anyone. So it was for Cream's own good that Vanilla was worried for her daughter. Ever since her previous husband left her, Cream was all that Vanilla had... and she didn't want to lose her as well. And it didn't matter to what.

Vanilla felt her heart clench as she realized what she'd have to do, if just for Cream's sake. She didn't like being the bad guy, but sometimes love has to be tough.

"I'm really sorry, Mom..." Cream apologized again, breaking the awkward silence. "I'll make sure that next time I go out, I'll leave you a note. And I'll be sure to ask ahead of time..."

"Honey, I forgive you, but I want you to know how worried I was. I had a long day at work, and I expected you to be home, but you weren't here. What was I supposed to think? What if something had really happened to you-"

"I know, I'm sorry, but it's over now. And I won't go out without your permission again," she promised softly, already wishing this conversation was over.

Vanilla swallowed. "What were you and Tails_ doing_, dear?"

"We just went out on a date," Cream said defensively. "He brought me flowers, and then we went to the park and took a walk and played on the swings, then we went to the movies. Tails was really sweet the whole time, he didn't do anything wrong..." she recounted in detail, knowing that her mom would just ask more questions if she didn't tell her _everything. _

Vanilla's brown eyes studied the ceiling for a moment, contemplating Cream's words, then she looked back down. "Oh Cream... I've been meaning to tell you this earlier, but... I was afraid that I would be bringing it up too soon. But now I see that I was too late, and waited too long. I'm sorry, Creamy..."

"_Mom_... if you're going to give me 'the talk' I already know all about that..." she said, blushing just a little.

"Oh, I know you know about sex... and_ that_ is what scares me, as your loving mother."

Now there wasn't a square-inch on Cream's face that wasn't beet red. "Mom!" she protested. "Me and Tails aren't going to do that until we're - I-I mean, _if_ we get married! Just like you always told me what was right!"

"Even so, Cream..." her voice lowered, indicating that she was serious about her next words. "I think that it might be best if you waited a while before you started dating."

Her blood froze and turned Cream's face back to the porcelain white color it was normally. "How long?" she was almost afraid to ask.

Vanilla didn't bat an eyelash. "Not until you're sixteen."

Cream's jaw dropped down to her lap. "_What? Sixteen? Why?_"

"For your own good, honey. I just want to protect you. And right now, you're too young to be running around with a boy-"

"But Mom... look, I'm sorry I didn't leave a note, I promise I will next time!" Cream promised, trying not to think that she'd have to wait _three more years _before she would be able to go out with Tails again. That was _way_ too far in the future!

Vanilla's eyes flashed, upset that Cream was interrupting her. Cream didn't usually do that. But still, she kept her composure. "This isn't just about today, sweetie. This is about your own safety... remember what happened to Amy? She was careless and was put in that situation-"

"I'm not that stupid! Me and Tails won't do that! What's wrong with just going out on normal dates? It's not fair to punish me for what Amy did!" Cream blushed again at the thought, but was too worked up to realize she just called her best friend stupid.

"It doesn't matter dear... things can start slow, but they will build up to that point. I just think it will be the best for you to wait, enjoy your childhood-"

"But I'm not a kid anymore, I'm thirteen! How long are you going to treat me like a baby? It's not fair!" Cream spat out, scowling.

At these words, mother and daughter froze, both shocked at Cream's uncharacteristic outburst. Cream felt fear tug at her heart again as Vanilla's expression became even _more_ austere.

"Cream, this_ isn't_ up for debate. I'm telling you, no dates until you're sixteen, young lady. And that's that," Vanilla said firmly. She wasn't willing to bend on this one.

"But that's not..." Cream trailed off, knowing that she wouldn't be able to argue her way out. But her mind immediately drifted to Tails... oh, would she really not be able to see him, hold him, kiss him anymore...? For three whole years? Oh, that would be too long... she couldn't make it...he was too cute, too kind, and Cream had crushed on him forever and already waited this long...

"...So you just want me to break up with him?" she asked, dejected, her heart slowly splitting at the seams.

"Yes. If he loves you, he'll wait for you. Now, do you understand me, Cream? No dating. And tomorrow I want you to call him and explain what I said, alright honey?"

She sighed sadly, feeling utterly powerless over her own fate. "Yes Mom."

"Thank you dear, remember, this is for your own good," Vanilla stood up to finish making supper. "I'm not doing this to ruin your fun or to be mean... I really do care about you, honey. I want to protect you, and do what's best for you. There will be_ plenty_ of time for you to go on dates when you're older."

Cream nodded absentmindedly, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Tails. They had been having so much fun earlier... what had been wrong with that? They hadn't done anything wrong. Did her mom really think she was going to sleep with Tails? As much as Cream didn't want to blame Amy and Sonic's careless act, she couldn't help it. But why should _she_ have to suffer because _they _hadn't planned on becoming parents?

_It's just not fair, I'm a victim to an overprotective mother..._ Cream thought as she helped set the table. Unfamiliar feelings of bitterness and rudeness flooded her heart, and replaced the feelings of helplessness.

For the first half of dinner, Vanilla changed the subject and recounted her day at work... but the second half was spent in awkward silence, with Cream halfheartedly eating (for her heart was broken) and drowning in self-pity.

_Oh, what will Tails say when I tell him? If he asks me out again, I'll have to say no, even though I like him and want to date him so badly... what if he doesn't want to wait for three years? Or what if he says he'll wait, but he finds someone else who can date him right now..._

Tears pricked at her eyes, and Cream excused herself from the table. She loaded the dishwasher after rinsing off her half-empty plate, and then raced upstairs to finish off her evening.

As soon as the bedroom door slammed shut, Cream's eyes started trembling. She bit into her lip, but nothing could dam the flood of tears - and soon her face and lips, which had been just an inch from Tails' only an hour ago, were instead met with the sad, salty droplets.

"Chao... chao..." Cheese tried to comfort her by nuzzling against her shoulder.

Cream sniffed and hugged her pet even closer, just now realizing that her only true friend was present right here.

"Oh Cheese... It's just not fair... what am I gonna do? I've liked Tails for such a long time, but Mom is going to make me wait for three more years... why should I have to give him up? We didn't even do anything!"

"Chao..."

The rabbit made her way to her bed, guided by her sobs and need to feel more comfort than just her chao. But even the soft, fluffy down-pillow just reminded her of her crush and his famous appendages. Even so, she pulled it against her wet face. As she reached around the pillow, though, her gloved hands brushed a piece of paper that had been resting underneath it.

Cream sniffed and reached for the paper, though her heart sank even further when she remembered it was the picture of Tails she had been keeping under her pillow for the past year or so... hoping and dreaming... Cream continued to study the photo, her heart aching... oh, Tails looked just so... _cute_ in this picture, with just a hint of a shy smile on his muzzle, his tails bordering him, his bangs adorably falling over his dazzling blue eyes... oh, but she couldn't have him...

This just wasn't fair!

Another tortured sob escaped Cream's throat, and she crumpled the picture of Tails up and tossed it away. What did it matter... he would never be willing to wait for her... and neither would any other boy... Cream was just destined to be single for the next few years.

_But I don't want to be a kid anymore... I want to grow up... but how can I if Mom won't let me? How can I stay alone at home all day? And how can I live without Tails?_

After she cried for a few more minutes, Cream raised her head, and brown eyes looked around her room. She suddenly felt too big and old for the princess-pink curtains and wallpaper, and the dolls still scattered around her toy chest. Was this the life she was going to continue living?

_It doesn't look like I have much choice... unless..._

Unless? Cream felt her heartbeat pick up for a minute as crazy plans of sneaking around behind Vanilla's back flooded her mind... but they faded just as fast.

_No way, I can't do that... Mom watches me like a hawk... I'd never get away with all that..._

She sighed again, and then her eyes fell on the cell phone resting on her nightstand. She almost reached for it to call someone... but lost her will as soon as she lifted her arm. There's no way that _Amy_ would understand her problems now, would she? Heck, she'd probably _agree_ with Vanilla... since those two were so close of friends now... in fact, they were as close as her and Cream used to be... before Amy had become a mother. Unfortunately, the two had drifted apart, slowly but surely, as Amy's life had become wrapped up in her twins and her Sonic, leaving Cream all but hanging. Of course, Amy hadn't been rude or snobby to Cream... it was just that she had grown up and was a married woman now, while Cream was still in that awkward adolescence stage. And from the looks of it, it seemed she would be here for a_ long_ time, thanks to her mother.

_It's bad enough that I practically lost my best friend... do I have to lose my crush, too?_

And with these unsure thoughts, Cream decided to call it a day. But before she'd even lay down for ten minutes, Cream got up again to fish out the cute picture of Tails that she'd just thrown away... as she realized this photo might be the only way she'd get to see him.

... & ...

_Man, did I dodge a bullet yesterday_, Tails thought as he stepped out of the shower. His bare fingertips grabbed a fluffy blue towel to dry off his dripping fur. Once he was somewhat dry, the fox slipped on his gloves and socks, and headed to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

_I wonder why she was so upset, though?_ he wondered as the bacon sizzled on the stove. _I guess she was just worried was all, but the way she looked at me was a little scary... but Vanilla has always trusted me and liked me. I shouldn't worry, but... I guess now that I'm dating her daughter I'm an outsider... _

_Wait... am I** dating** Cream now? _

Tails blinked as he thought._ Does one date make her my girlfriend? I... guess. I mean, I want her to be my girlfriend..._ a warm blush spread over his face as he pictured Cream's sweet smile. _And I think she likes me too, she seemed to enjoy the date and we got so close to kissing yesterday... but if her mom is gonna go crazy then we'll have to see. I hope that Vanilla doesn't overreact to a missed note..._

He grabbed a spatula to flip the bacon over, and had to lick his lips at the sight of the sizzling meat. The carnivore in him was clawing to get out. _Aw man, nothing like bacon for breakfast..._

But before the fox could linger on these hungry thoughts_, _the chime of his phone reached his ears. He frowned a little in wonder, but turned the bacon down on low heat so he could answer it. As soon as his cyan eyes read the caller ID, his heart raced. Oh, it was Cream, probably filling him in on the lecture Vanilla had given her last night...

"Hello?" Tails said as he picked up.

"Hi Tails."

The fox did a double take on the caller ID to make sure that it really was Cream... as her voice sounded too sad to belong to the cheerful rabbit he thought he knew.

"Cream? What's up?"

"Bad news."

Tails' stomach dropped down to his feet. "What is it?"

Cream sighed. "I'm so sorry Tails, but... we can't go out anymore."

Tails froze. He'd expected the worst, but this... this was _harsh._ All because of one missed note? Still, he was too shocked to say anything, so Cream continued, in a voice that sounded like she was holding back tears.

"I'm sorry... I just... Mom says that I have to wait until I'm..." she swallowed. "...sixteen until I date anyone."

"Sixteen?" Tails echoed loudly, and Cream winced on the other end from his shouting. "That's... all because of last night, you forgot a note?"

Cream bit into her lip, but blushed as she realized what she was about to say. "Well... yeah, but also... umm..." her face now felt like it could melt an icicle. "... um, well... remember what happened to Sonic and Amy a few years ago?... Mom's afraid _that_ might happen to me..." Cream finished off in a whisper.

Tails felt a blush wash over his face, so hot that it could probably help cook the bacon. "Oh, um... oh..." was all he could mutter, as he was too embarrassed to say more.

"But_ I_ think she's just being overprotective and too strict," Cream said quickly, wanting to change the subject. "Isn't that ridiculous? As if we would do that! Mom's just being crazy and strict... but I have to obey her... so..." her sadness replaced her embarrassment. "We can't go out... I'm sorry, I, um... I had fun yesterday, and I... I really like you, but... unless you want to wait..."

Cream cringed and waited eagerly for his response. Her heart was silently pleading for him to promise that he would... but all Cream heard was silence and the steady sound of Tails breathing. Oh, why wasn't he answering...?

Tails wasn't answering because he was still processing all of this horrible knowledge. Cream... couldn't date until she was... sixteen? Tails felt his heart clench in anguish as it began to sink in. That meant...no more dates with her. For three whole years! He wouldn't get to hold her and kiss her... even though he liked her, and she liked him... she'd just said that she did, and yet... they couldn't be together. At least, not now...

He felt his fingers that were holding the phone start trembling. Oh, it just wasn't fair! Why should he have to wait that long? It wasn't like they were gonna do anything bad...

"...Tails?"

Her angelic voice calling his name did nothing but tug at the foxes heartstrings. Oh, it was too much.

"Cream..." pronouncing her sweet name was too hard... "I'm sorry... I like you too... but... well, that's a long time and -"

The rabbit's heart sank. So that was a 'No, I won't wait for you', then. Fine... well, what could she expect out of the boy, anyway? It was hard for anyone to wait that long... but that meant... Tails was lost... and now she was going to have the pleasure of watching him go on to date and marry another girl, who was more available... _ oh, why, Mom, why? You tell me to choose a boy carefully but now you won't let me have the only worthwhile one around... _

"It's okay, it's not your fault. Bye Tails," she said quickly, and feeling unlike herself and heartbroken, Cream hung up on Tails and collapsed into a pile of tears.

* * *

**Author's Notes -** I have a feeling that some of you are really hating Vanilla right now... but please, try and see things from her point of view. Seeing firsthand what Amy went through, and being a single mother herself... it makes sense that she would throw the "sixteen rule" on Cream... Holy cowpoke, though... I feel like I did a good job on this chapter, with Cream at least. What my newest job is will be to show how this will realistically play out with everyone involved. Oh man... :D ... this'll be fun...


	3. Boys Will Be Boys

AutoKnight01, bk00, Rafael Pereira, JackleTheKitsune, Tyranifex, Prominence Flare, cookythefoxcat, holospartoi258, Mana the Cat Magician, Novus Umbra, Delta 2-1, rugtugba, TrumpetGirl818, MKSfan14, SkulY2K, PhineasandFerbs1Fan-notIrving, poka, CherrletheChicken, Mike Prower the Fox, Trinita, Jonman14, SkulY2K:

Tee hee! I love you guys. I would say that I've never gotten such a mixed reaction to a single chapter before... and well... I guess I haven't. Heh, I got readers that agree with Vanilla, and readers that side with Cream. Oh well, this is just how I like it. Those of you who know me have probably guessed which side I lean to... though as the author, I really can see both sides.

And if you _really_ know me... then you won't be a_ bit _surprised at what this chapter is about. :)

Chapter 3: Boys Will Be Boys

* * *

"Wait, Cream - " Tails quickly tried to interrupt, but was just answered with the monotonous, annoying sound of the dial tone. _Crap_, he thought as a a frown deepened across his muzzle.

Oh, why had she hung up on him? He had been about to say that he would try and wait for her... but... he'd stumbled over his words, like the nervous wreck he always was around the girl. And now she was probably thinking that he didn't like her anymore.

_Man, I should have just said it_, Tails realized as the despair started settling in, and his blue eyes regarded the jet black phone.

_Wait, I gotta try and call her back..._ he decided, and started quickly punching in the memorized numbers. He frantically held the phone up to his ear again, but was only met with the voice-mail, indicating that Cream had shut off her phone - or at least wasn't answering it.

"Cream, uh, yeah, it's Tails. Look, I'm sorry that I didn't give you a good answer but, uh... uh, I was trying to say that I would try and wait for you... um... I really like you and even though three years is a long time... I think... it'd be worth it to me..."

His voice cracked again, and Tails flushed pink from what he'd just said. He paused for a minute, thinking, before he remembered he was still on the phone, leaving a message. "I-I mean, we can still call each other, right? We can still talk and see each other... so it won't be that bad... we can make it if we try... so uhm, yeah... please call me back when you get this. Thanks Cream... I ...I ... uh, bye."

He pushed down the red button to hang up and let out a labored sigh, still trying to process what he'd just learned in the past few minutes. Feelings of bitterness and injustice as well as good old fashioned pain flooded Tails' heart, and he snapped his eyes shut. He wasn't able to visually focus on anything else around him... all he could see right now was Cream's warm brown eyes, her dimpled smile, her soft white muzzle that he wouldn't be able to kiss...

A hissing sound suddenly reached his ears, and Tails opened his eyes again. _The bacon,_ he remembered, but as he approached the meat still sizzling in the cooking pan, it suddenly didn't look quite as savory. In fact, the sight caused his stomach to lurch. In one quick motion, Tails snapped off his stove and then tossed the fully cooked bacon into the trash.

It was certainly true that the only thing that could quell a healthy fifteen-year-old boy's appetite would be a girl.

And what a girl Cream was... she was everything Tails could ever want... but she was no longer available for him to date. And it wasn't like he had lost her to another boy, but to her strict and unyielding mother. And what could he do to ever hope to win her away from Vanilla? The woman was of strong convictions, and wouldn't be swayed by hardly anything. If Tails knew anything about her, he knew this.

So what could he do? Three years was an awful long time to wait... and he didn't know if he would be able to make it. Even if he told himself that he could do it, what's to say that he wouldn't find himself just not liking her anymore, even a year from now? While part of him wanted to promise Cream that he would be ready to go on her sixteenth birthday... Tails didn't want to get Cream's hopes up only to let her down later. He didn't want her to hold onto his promise, only for him to break it off with her later.

So what could he do? There was no question that he liked Cream and she returned his feelings. They were both eager to go out and get to know each other better... but they were stuck.

_C'mon Tails, think logically... _he scolded himself. _Your problem right now is that Vanilla doesn't trust you and Cream to be alone together. So try and think of how you can solve that... not the waiting game..._

He needed help. How in the world could he hope to convince Vanilla that he wasn't going to try anything, and that his and Cream's aim was only fun? The prospect of talking directly with the rabbit was very frightening... so maybe he'd have to do it indirectly.

An idea flashed thorough Tails' ingenious brain, and he let out a relieved sigh. That just might work... it certainly wouldn't hurt to try. There was nothing Tails wanted more than to date Cream, and he was willing to go through great lengths to be able to do that.

After only a moment's hesitation, the fox punched in the familiar numbers and then raised the phone to his ears. He only heard one ring before a connection was made.

"Hello?"

Tails blinked, surprised. Well... that was certainly _not_ who he'd expected to answer the phone!

"...Sonic?"

"_Little bro!_" the blue hedgehog's very enthusiastic voice raced through the airwaves. "Hey! What's up, man?"

"What are you doing home right now? Shouldn't you be at work, delivering everyone's mail?" Tails said a little rudely, though he tried to mask his disappointment. He couldn't believe that Amy hadn't been the one to answer...

Sonic hardly seemed to notice. "Heh heh heh, I got the day off today, actually. Not by choice, but the boss just sent me home. Not that I'm complaining, I get to see the twins more... but anyway, what's up?"

"Oh... um..." Crap, he'd been hoping to talk with Amy, since her and Vanilla were so close. But how could Sonic help him?

Now, if this had been three, heck even one year ago, Tails wouldn't hesitate in asking his big brother for advice. In fact, he was probably where Tails would've gone first. But now... well, what would Sonic say? Would the hedgehog be able to help him out?

_Wait, why am I so resistant talking to Sonic? He's my best friend, why am I even hesitating? _

_But it's** his** fault that all this happened, you know..._

Tails shrugged the thought off. _I can't think that, Sonic is still my big brother..._ "Oh, um, is Amy there?"

"...Amy?" Sonic confirmed, confused. "No, uh, she's out shopping. Once she heard that I had the day off, she wanted to leave the twins home with me so she could go out for once... why, d'ya need to talk with her?"

"Er, yeah, I was hoping to... but um... okay, that's fine. Mind if I come over?" he asked.

"Course not, little bro!" Sonic paused on the other end for a minute, and then Tails could hear a muffled sound of Sonic shouting. "Hey guys, Uncle Tails is coming over!" Excited screams echoed in the background, coming from Sonic's two children.

Tails found a smile coming over his face, in spite of himself. "Alright Sonic, I'll be right over."

... & ...

Swooping down out of the crystal blue sky, Tails fought a blustery headwind and landed right outside the Hedgehog residence. He wiped his sneakers off on the muddy welcome mat, and rapped his knuckles on the door. He only had to wait one full second before the door swung open, revealing a cobalt hedgehog with bloodshot eyes and tears rolling down his cheeks.

"...Sonic?"

"Hey Tails, good ta see ya," Sonic sniffed and smiled through his tears.

The fox blinked his baby blue eyes. "What happened to you, why are you..."

"Oh, the tears..." Sonic chuckled. "I'm just cutting onions, they're brutal... but come in, they're waiting for ya..."

The fox shrugged, but as soon as he was fully inside the Hedgehog home, his legs were suddenly attacked on both fronts.

"_Uncle Tails!_ _Uncle Tails! __Uncle Tails! _" two high-pitched and excited voices, belonging to two boisterous three-year-olds, shouted.

A startled gasp escaped the foxes lips as he looked down at the two toddler-hogs ferociously gripping his legs.

"I got here_ first_!" the lavender one, a rambunctious yet sweet girl named Sierra, proclaimed triumphantly.

"No you _didn't!_" her brother Chase, an azure hedgehog that looked like a mini-Sonic, protested. "I did! I'm faster than you!"

"No you're_ not_!" Sierra retorted and gripped tighter onto her uncle's legs.

Sonic chuckled a little. "Hey, calm down you two. You didn't even say hi to your uncle."

"Oh... Hi Uncle Tails!" Sierra said sweetly and nuzzled against his leg.

"Hi Uncle Tails... Daddy, are you gonna come pway with us _now_?" Chase asked innocently, his emerald green eyes wide in question.

Sonic hunched over, his hands on his knees, to get eye level with his son. "No, buddy, you go play with your sister for a minute. I'm going to talk with Uncle Tails and finish cooking, alright? But as soon as I'm done, then we get to have fun, okay?"

"Why not _now?_" Sierra asked and pouted, before finally peeling herself off of Tails' leg.

Sonic had to smile at her impatience and raised his hand to affectionately ruffle Sierra's quills ... he loved his kids way too much... "Because, your Dad needs time to warm up so that he can keep up with you two. You're getting too fast for me."

They both giggled at this response and then Chase suddenly tapped Sierra on the shoulder. "It!" he screamed and ran out the door to the fenced-in backyard.

"Chase! No fair!" Sierra called out before running after him.

The father raised his still-teary eyes to meet Tails'... though now they might be wet for a different reason. "Man, I love those two. Gotta keep an eye on them, though... Sorry bro, you know how excited they get..."

"Heh, it's fine," Tails said, even though he was sweating a little. "So Amy really left you alone with these two?"

"Heh, I'm glad she did. They're a lot of fun, Tails. They're the only ones who can keep _me_ on my toes.. cept for Ames, of course. But she's out maternity shopping, so - "

"_Maternity_?" Tails echoed. "Already? She's hardly showing!"

A cheeky grin came over Sonic's face. "Oh, no, she's definitely showing, if you pay attention... not that I do or anything, heh, but yeah, even if she wasn't... it's _Amy_ and_ shopping_ that we're talkin' about. She wanted to go as soon as she found out a few months ago."

"Four months, now?"

"Yep, five ta go... and I get another little one to chase around..." Sonic looked out the window and smiled fondly at his children romping around the backyard.

"So you're used to being tied down, then?" Tails asked.

"Psh, Tails, look at them. Do these kids look like they're gonna tie anyone down? Jeez, if anything they make me run more than usual... and that's hard ta do... plus they're different every day. So Tails, you have no idea how much I'm loving life right now. My day job lets me do what I love all day, and then I get an awesome family to come home to. Yep, life is sweet..."

Tails felt a pang of jealousy for the blue hedgehog. How could he not? Sonic had a beautiful wife whom he didn't have to wait for anymore.

Sonic wiped at his eyes again, and heading back into the kitchen to finish up his meal.

"So why are you cutting onions again? Since when did you cook?" Tails asked as he followed him.

"Since I found out Amy's super secret chili recipe, that's when. Not that she ever told me, 'course, though we've been married for two years now... but I figured it out from watching her so many times." Sonic grinned. "You slather that on some hot dogs, and man you've got_ heaven_ on a bun."

Tails smiled back, though he was inwardly rolling his eyes at typical Sonic. "I might stick around and eat some, if you guys have any cheese..."

"See, now why do you have to do that? You have a perfectly wonderful chili dog, just dripping with awesomeness... and then you go and spread _cheese_ all over it? Why, Tails, why must you ruin it?" Sonic teased him while playfully punching his arm. "Anyway... look at me, talkin' away. What is it _you_ need that made ya wanna come over, buddy?"

The fox swallowed, suddenly feeling hesitant to bring it up. Sonic had changed so much now that he was a father... how would he understand his predicament? But then again, who else could he talk to?

"Well, I asked Cream out yesterday," he reported.

"Ah," Sonic smirked knowingly. "Took ya long enough. So, how'd it go?"

"The date was fun, but..." Tails cringed as he remembered just how much fun they'd had... fun they couldn't have anymore...

"But?" Sonic prompted.

The fox painfully regarded his shoes. "Well, Cream called me again this morning, and she said that Vanilla's not going to let her go on anymore dates."

Sonic's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"I wish I was... but Vanilla said that Cream can't date at all, until she's sixteen." Tails' gaze took on an accusing squint. "To protect her."

"Wow, that's... to protect her? From what?"

A surge of anger flooded through Tails, but he had to look away, as he wasn't brave enough to say this while looking right into Sonic's eyes. "I guess so she doesn't suffer Amy's same fate..."

Sonic's jaw dropped even further and he let out an indignant gasp at that accusation. But once he got over his initial shock, he growled and took a more defensive pose, his ears back to his skull, his fists clenched. "Hey now -"

"I'm not blaming you, I'm just repeating what Cream told me," Tails said quietly, suddenly regretting saying anything, and hating to have Sonic be upset with him.

The older one relaxed, though his smile had disappeared. "So... you and Cream can't date."

Tails nodded, and risked a peek back at Sonic. "Yeah."

"What are you gonna do, Tails?"

"I don't know, I was hoping to talk with Amy to get her opinion, because her and Vanilla are so close, but..."

Sonic felt slighted for a minute. "You know I'm always here for you, bro. But... man, that must be rough... jeez, um, why don't you try and talk with Vanilla?"

Tails blushed and shook his head. "No, I'm a little scared to..."

"Aw, c'mon Tails... if you really wanna go out with this girl, then it should be no prob."

Not for the first time, Tails found himself wishing that he had just a slice of Sonic's self-confidence."I know..."

"Well, I would tell you to wait those three years... but that'd be like the wind telling a mountain to stand still... so the only other thing I can say is..." Sonic frowned, knowing this would be harsh. "Find another girl."

Tails' eyes got huge. "Another girl? You've gotta be joking, Sonic... I..." he looked back out the window at the twins. "...there's no other girl that I want, besides her... she's just so... " he blushed at his thoughts, and didn't feel like sharing them with Sonic. "You know, Sonic. She's one in a million. I don't want anyone else... and I really really like her... I just... don't know what to do..." Tails suddenly became ashamed at the hot tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

He continued to stare out the window when he felt a strong yet comforting hand on his shoulder. Tails slowly looked back at Sonic, and saw nothing but compassion reflected in his jade eyes.

"I'm sorry, man. I know it's hard, but I don't know what else to tell you. You either have to talk with Vanilla or just... let her go. There's nothing else you can do. I'm sorry."

"I know..." Tails repeated, and ashamedly wiped at his eyes.

"But cheer up, it won't be all that bad..." Sonic said and squeezed Tails' shoulder before releasing it. "You two can still see each other right? I mean... can't you still go over there when Vanilla's there? And you can still call her, right? So it's not like she's gonna be under a rock, know what I mean? It won't be _that _bad. You can make it," Sonic encouraged him.

"I hope you're right, Sonic... a girl like Cream is so hard to find..." Tails said wistfully.

After this conversation, the two brothers headed back outside to play with the twins. Chase and Sierra wouldn't be satisfied with anything other than a good long run around the neighborhood, though, so Tails was soon out of the picture. He said goodbye to the three hedgehogs and then headed back home, still wondering how in the world he could change a stubborn rabbit's mind... or if he had enough courage to try and do so.

* * *

**Author's Notes -** I know, not much TailsxCream here, but just needed to indulge myself a little, and thought I'd bring you up to speed on what's happening with the Hedgehogs (and yes, Amy's pregnant again! YAAAY!).

But hey, you can't say I didn't warn you that there would be too much Sonic/Tails brotherly in here... though maybe you weren't expecting it just like this. The two brothers have an odd relationship right now. If you remeber back in Passion, they had a sort of "falling out" because Tails felt betrayed that Sonic would do that... and then in Tying the Knot they became buds again. But now, with Tails growing up and wanting to become his own person and find his own way (and take a chance on _today_... sorry, couldn't resist that one...), he's sorta drifting back away from his big bro... and may even blame him for this predicament, as it is indirectly his fault.

Chapter 4 (which will have more of the main couple) will be up very, very soon... maybe even tomorrow. But I'll tell you now, after tomorrow, expect slow updates from myself, because I'm getting my Gamecube early. :D


	4. Mama Knows Best

Jonman14, 01sonamy01, Novus Umbra, Rafael Pereira, Mana the Cat Magician, poka, JackleTheKitsune, Koollolly, AutoKnight01, tails the mighty kitusune, Tyranifex, TrumpetGirl818, Trinita, SkulY2K, tails5555, Vyvyan the Rabbit, holospartoi258, Delta 2-1, Mike Prower the Fox, Writer's Freedom:

Man, that's the last time I promise to update the next day. I seriously just jinxed myself, as life really has a way of invading when all I want to do is just write, dang it! (Well... that and I'm LOVING SA2Battle right now...) Either way, here's chapter 4. Enjoy...

Chapter 4: Mama Knows Best

* * *

The sky held a somber ashen gray color, covering the whole ceiling of Mobius with a thick, heavy mass of rainclouds. The tops of hills were obscured by the dense cloudy fog that foreshadowed a coming thunderstorm.

And to one two-tailed fox, none of these clouds had a silver lining.

Especially since they were all pouring down rain.

The light but still present drizzle left a misty atmosphere, a soaked fur coat, and a rather depressing mood hanging over Tails' head. He kept one of his eyes on the sky, watching for any flashes of lightning. All it would take was one of them, and he would be turning around and hightailing it back to his place. There was something about seeing the powerful bolts crashing from the heavens and striking the earth without warning that scared the crap out of Tails. Maybe it was because it was so random that even science couldn't predict when and where they would strike. Or maybe it was because the accompanying but still delayed thunder was loud and scary enough to shake the earth itself.

But as scared as Tails was of thunderstorms... what he was about to do was scaring him even more.

He felt fear grip his heart, but he wouldn't (_couldn't_) let it stop him from his journey this time.

_I can do this. I can. I want to, at least. All I have to do is talk to Vanilla and tell her that I really like her daughter and she should change her mind because I mean no harm...  
_

_Oh man...how do I come to be in these situations..._

Tails continued trying to psych himself up for the coming conversation as he flew through the damp, thick air. He'd decided that the only thing he could do was try and convince Vanilla that. He'd planned on talking to Amy first, but realized that the girl would only tell him to be patient and wait those three years, just like she herself had waited for Sonic as a young teen. And Tails was realising that would be the one thing he could not do.

Finally coming to a drier place, the area right underneath the rabbits' porch, Tails shivered against the cold water still clinging to his fur. He spun his namesakes around, hoping to spray all of the moisture off. Once he was sure he looked a little more presentable, Tails raised his hand to summon someone to the door.

It opened to reveal the older of the two rabbits, surprised to see him.

"Oh Tails, come in dear! You must be soaking wet!" Vanilla fussed as she reached to pull him inside.

"Sorry," he apologized softly.

"Don't worry about it! Now, you stay right there and I'll run to grab you some towels!" Vanilla assured him, as for the moment, her charity and kindness eclipsed her suspicion of why he'd shown up.

Tails awkwardly remained in the entrance hall, his heart calmed down now that he saw that Vanilla at least didn't hate him anymore. For a moment, his imagination had made him believe that she had. The fact didn't change his embarrassment over his soaked fur, though, and he looked down at himself and cursed the storm.

A second later, soft hopping-footsteps reached his ears, and Tails blushed as he realized who his next visitor was. Even though he was anxious to see her, Tails slowly raised up his eyes to meet hers. Oh, even when she was sad, she was so _beautiful_...

As soon as Cream looked into his dazzling blue eyes and saw her own longing mirrored in them, she knew that he'd come just to see her. And nothing could warm her heart more. Oh, he braved the storm... and with how afraid of lightning he was...

"You came..." she said softly, knowing how good of hearing Vanilla possessed.

He nodded once, and tried to cover up his heavy namesakes, conscious of how they were dripping on the floor. Cream didn't seem to mind, though, by the way she kept looking at him achingly. Before he could say anything in response, Vanilla had returned with two white fluffy towels.

"There you are, dear," she said sweetly and handed them to Tails, who immediately dried himself off. "I have some hot cocoa and apple pie made if you'd like a snack."

Tails' eyes lit up. "T-thanks, I think that I would," he accepted and followed the two rabbits into the living room once his fur was only damp.

Vanilla took a left turn into the kitchen to grab the food, once again leaving Tails and Cream alone for a moment. The two locked eyes again at the edge of the living room.

"Why did you come?" Cream asked in hushed tones.

"I-I wanted to see you... did you get my message?" Tails asked quietly.

Cream softly shook her head. "Message?"

"I left you one on your phone... I just... wanted to tell you that I still like you...and I'll try and talk with your mom..." he admitted.

Cream nodded and quickly reached to take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. "Good luck..."

Tails blushed at her contact, and the warmth of her touch lingered even as Vanilla re-entered to serve the snacks.

The three of them sat and made small talk for a good hour, even as the rain pounded at an increasing rate against the roof. Every time there was a break in the conversation, Tails kept trying to work up the nerve to bring up the reason for his visit... but just felt his tongue tie up. Cream kept on giving him encouraging smiles, but Tails still felt his confidence waver as soon as he looked at Vanilla. It wasn't that her appearance was intimidating (on the contrary, Vanilla held a smile the whole time), it was the knowledge that as soon as he brought it up, that smile would disappear.

_It doesn't matter, I have to do this anyway... _he thought as he took another glance at Cream, his heart skipping. _I'll do this, for her..._

"Um, Ms. Vanilla?" Tails ventured and cleared his throat.

"Yes dearie?"

"Um..." _okay, how to start this one... _"I was wondering if it'd be okay for uh, me to take Cream out sometime..."

As predicted, her lips flattened. It wasn't like Vanilla hadn't seen this one coming. Still, she forced a smile back onto her face.

"Tails, I first want to say that you have been like a son to me ever since we've met. You are a very good boy, and I trust you. However, I have decided that Cream should wait a little while before she starts going out with boys, for her own good."

"But, why?" Tails asked quietly. "I-I won't do anything. I, I just like Cream a lot and I want to take her out and have fun... I won't do anything..."

Vanilla's smile was slowly reappearing. "I know you won't Tails. But even if you start off slow, then things can build up. And I'd rather Cream waited until she was-"

"_Mom_, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Cream butted in.

Vanilla looked back at her daughter in astonishment of how rude she'd just been. "Cream-"

"Mom, please, you're treating me like a _baby. _Look at Tails, he's not going to hurt me! I just don't see what the big deal is!" she crossed her arms in defiance.

Vanilla lowered her voice and leaned towards her daughter. "Cream, where is this attitude coming from? I think that you're forgetting that I'm your mother. And your attitude is not going to make me change my mind. In fact, it's just making me think that you really_ aren't_ old enough to date."

Cream rolled her eyes. "How does that make any sense?" she muttered.

"Please, Cream. What has gotten into you? You usually don't act this way."

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't treat me like I'm still six and make up stupid rules," she retorted.

Vanilla opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words. She hadn't had to seriously discipline Cream since she was about three or four; the girl had always been polite and respectful.

And now... _she's become a teenager_, Vanilla realized with sadness. _She's growing up too fast._..

"...Ms. Vanilla?" Tails tried again. "I'm sorry that I asked you..."

Vanilla was brought back to the real world, but found her response cut off again.

Ding - dong!

Vanilla took one glance at the preteens, and then quickly jumped up to answer the door, muttering, "I wonder who would come in the rain..." But as soon as the words left her lips, she remembered, and cursed in her head.

As soon as Vanilla left, Tails and Cream immediately exchanged glances, mutual longing reflected in their eyes. Both of them were afraid to make the first move towards each other, wondering if the other was feeling and thinking the same.

Tails licked his lips, and that's when Cream suddenly noticed how soft and luscious they looked_... __what would it be like to kiss them?... Mom would kill me if she found out... _

_But who says she has to find out? _

_"_I'm sorry Cream... I tried but..." Tails felt tears in his eyes. "I guess it's not going to work... I still like you, though..._"_

Cream felt her own eyes tear up, but she fought it and scooted closer to him, resting her hand on top of his. "But Tails... this isn't fair... I shouldn't have to listen to Mom... there has to be something we can do..." _  
_

A sudden burst of excitement and noisy activity echoed in from the entrance hall, and the next second a lavender blur attacked Cream.

"Aunt Cweam!" Sierra shouted and enveloped Cream into a hug.

The rabbit blinked in surprise at the unexpected assault. "...Sierra?"

"Well, somebody's excited today," Vanilla said with a smile as she entered after the toddler.

"This is tame for Sierra," Amy added with her own giggle.

"Uncle Tails!" Sierra screamed and then lunged for fox, nuzzling against his stomach before racing back towards her mom.

Tails and Cream exchanged glances, both wondering what this visit could mean.

"Where's your brother?" Vanilla asked as she crouched down to face Sierra.

"He's with Sonic," Amy explained. "He didn't want to go shopping, believe it or not."

"All Chase wants to do is _run_... " Sierra said with a small pout.

"Don't you like to run, Sierra?" Vanilla asked the toddler.

"Yep, but Chase not good at it," she said matter-of-factly.

It was just then that Amy noticed her best friend sitting off to the side.

"Hey Cream, me and your mom are going shopping, you want to come?"

The girl hesitated, and looked at Tails, who had frozen in place. It was all she could do to keep from glancing at her mother. So her mother was going to be away for the next few hours... _could this be her chance._..? "No, I'll stay here... I really don't feel like going anywhere."

Amy pouted as she picked up Sierra and rested her against her shoulder. "Aw, c'mon Cream... we haven't talked in a long time! Why don't you come?

"No, I just don't feel like it," she refused again, even after looking at Sierra's big, innocent expression.

Amy frowned. Why was Cream being so difficult? They hardly ever got to talk as it was. Cream never used to be this stubborn. So what was wrong with the girl now?

"Okay then," Amy said in spite of her thoughts, and let her smile reappear. "C'mon Vanilla, it'll be just us three -"

"No, you just go on without me, Amy dear... I'll stay with Cream and Tails," Vanilla insisted and sat back down.

"You can just leave him with Cream, I'm sure she wouldn't mind it," Amy said with a cheerful wink and oblivious smile.

But she was just met with Cream's eager nod, Tails' blush, and Vanilla's unamused and level expression.

Her face fell and she blinked. "...did I say something wrong?"

"I'll leave," Tails said abruptly, and immediately jumped up.

"No, Tails!" Cream protested and grabbed his am without thinking, not wanting him to leave.

"Sorry Cream... " he apologized and pulled from her grasp, even though it was tearing him apart. "Miss Vanilla, Amy, Sierra..." Tails acknowledged all the girls present and headed for the door.

His gloved hand made contact with the metal doorknob, but before he turned, he sent an apologetic and tender glance at Cream.

"Tails, please... it's still raining," she begged at him, and then looked to Amy and Vanilla for support._ Please, Mom, be overly polite and insist he stay here... please!_

But the older rabbit kept her mouth shut, more from indecision than anything. Vanilla wanted to talk her situation over with Amy; that's why she'd offered to go shopping with the pink hedgehog in the first place. And Tails leaving would open the door for her to leave. _And yet... am I being selfish?_ She wondered.

A sudden, loud roll of thunder echoed into the house as soon as Tails swung the door open, and the fox jumped back in sheer terror, his heart hammering against his rib cage. _Oh gosh no no no no no... not thunder... _He'd always been afraid of thunderstorms... it was a phobia age hadn't cured. But still... he couldn't stay. He'd caused enough trouble here... him and Cream just couldn't be together. Without another thought, Tails braced himself and went out into the rain.

Oh, this whole thing just wasn't fair! A scowl overtook Cream's face as soon as the door slipped closed, and she turned to send her mother a murderous look.

"Oh, why did you send him away? You know how scared he is of thunderstorms!" Cream hissed and then ran upstairs to her bedroom, Cheese in tow.

Vanilla felt her own heart sink as she felt the anger and hatred of her own daughter. _Please Cream... try to understand... I love you, please don't hate me for loving you..._

Meanwhile, all Amy could do was frown in surprise, thinking, _what did I miss? _And all Sierra wanted was to get out of the house, and so with her persistent pleadings, the three of them went out into the storm to take the next train for Station Square.

As soon as Cream heard them leave and silence settle in on the empty house, she scowled. But with every subsequent roll of thunder that echoed across the hills, her fear for Tails grew.

_Oh, poor Tails... he's out there in the storm, probably scared to death... and it's all Mom's fault for driving him away. How could she do that to him, why didn't she insist that he stay? _

She hopped over to her window and peeked outside through the droplets obscuring her vision. _Oh, I wish that I could go after him... to make sure he's safe... _

_What's holding you back, Cream? _

She blinked in thought. What **was** preventing her from chasing after Tails?

_Your mom is gone; she won't be back for a few hours. You could sneak out and be back before she even knows that you're gone. _

BOOOM! Cream cringed as she pictured Tails shrinking in fear from the thunder.

_But that would be disobeying Mom... can I actually do that? _

_She doesn't really care about you anyway. You're in the right. And it's not even a real **date**... it's for Tails... you're just seeing that he's okay in the storm._

Without another thought, the rebellious teenager slipped her window open and flew into the rain, searching everywhere for her crush.

... & ...

With the help of two large umbrellas, the three girls all somehow made it safe and dry into the mall so that Amy could buy even more maternity clothes.

Sierra had one of those baby-leashes harnessed around her body to prevent her from running off on a whim. At first Amy had loved the idea of the leash; it had been Sonic who'd called it child abuse. But all it took was one time taking them out and having them both run away that she'd convinced Sonic to invest in one for each. They'd been lifesavers. Amy was slower than both toddlers, even when they were at this age, and they had tons of energy and super speed. The last thing Amy wanted was for them to take off running in the middle of the mall and have her unable to catch them. Worrying about her hyperactive children was a full-time job for the pink hedgehog.

It was things like this that made Vanilla feel that Amy was the only one who might actually understand why she was restricting her daughter's activities.

She hadn't expected to find her best friend in someone over a decade younger than herself, but she was glad she had found a friend in Amy. Most of her older friends were all caught up in their own husbands and children... and Vanilla couldn't relate to them as well. And it didn't sit too well with most of them that she was a divorcee, either. So after a few years of hearing "You should have waited to get married when you were older." and "You should've chosen a better man," enough was enough and Vanilla had left them more or less drift away. She still kept in touch, but only to be polite.

And she didn't want her daughter to make her same mistakes... she wanted Cream to live like she's always wanted to. She wanted Cream to be a better version of herself, to do the things that she hadn't been able to. And so that's why she raised the rabbit so well and reinforced good manners and behavior and grammar.

As she looked between the accompanying mother and daughter on their shopping trip, Vanilla couldn't help but be jealous of Amy - Vanilla herself was on the wrong side of thirty, while Amy wasn't even twenty yet. And the pink hedgehog had a loving husband and two - soon to be three or four - children. Vanilla had always wanted to have multiple children, maybe as many as ten... but of course, things never come out like she'd planned for them to.

So now here she was - on a Saturday afternoon, at the mall food court with Amy. Sierra was busy half-eating her grilled cheese and coloring the sky purple and the grass blue, while the two mothers talked. Vanilla sighed and tried to fight off the envy she felt bubbling up in her heart as she looked over Amy's shiny wedding ring and pregnant belly.

"So, how does it feel to be pregnant again? Any better than the first time?" Vanilla asked once they'd gotten their food.

Amy nodded. "Well, now I know exactly what to expect, so I'm more calm about it. And honestly, I do feel better now that Sonic and I are married, tee hee... I'm really excited actually." A grin overtook her face.

"And how's Sonic taking it?"

"Very well, he's almost as excited as I am. We actually planned for this one, so he was fine with it. I'm still trying to convince him to have eight kids, though..."

Vanilla smiled politely. "Oh he'll probably change his mind in a few years once he starts to love his kids... you know how Sonic is." She thought for a minute. "I've always wanted to have that many... but it's a little too late for me to have any more," Vanilla said ruefully.

"Oh don't say that Vanilla... you could always find another guy... I bet you have your eye on someone _now_, don't you?" Amy winked at her.

Vanilla felt heat come to her face. "Oh, I'm getting a little too old for that."

"You're not old, Vanilla, and you're a rabbit," Amy teased. "Everyone knows about _rabbits_..."

Vanilla suddenly really wanted to change the subject. "Yes, well, I have my hands full with my only child, at the moment."

"Oh, yeah, I noticed. Why was Cream being so... " Amy drifted off and took another bite. Since she was eating for two now, the mother had ordered double portions.

"She's a teenager now," Vanilla said as if that would explain everything. "She's thinking she's old and mature enough to do certain things when I don't believe that she is."

Amy titled her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've made the decision that she will have to wait to go on dates with a boy until she's sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Amy echoed incredulously, but when she saw the look in other mother's eyes, she turned her eyes back down to her gigantic chicken salad. "Sorry, but that's pretty harsh, Vanilla..."

"I don't think so... it will help her appreciate dating more. And make her realize it's something to be taken seriously. And she'll have to chose her date carefully."

"But _still..."_ Amy said between bites. _No wonder Cream's' so upset... I know I'd be super pissed off if my parents were still alive and they did that to me._ "That's a long time to wait. What are you so afraid of?"

"Amy, don't you care about your children? Don't you want to make sure that they're safe?" Vanilla gestured to Sierra and her kid-leash.

"Vanilla, I'm all about protecting my children, but... to me, waiting three years to go on a date seems like way too much. If it were me, I'd have an early curfew, but not no dates altogether. That's just too hard for her. Don't you trust Cream?"

The rabbit hesitated in revealing her true motive, not wanting to offend Amy. But she realized this may be the only way to get the girl to understand.

She lowered her voice. "Amy, please don't take this the wrong way honey, but, it's because of you and Sonic that I've realized the dangers of careless dating," she said almost cryptically.

Amy blinked. "Me and Sonic? What -" And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She blinked again, this time more rapidly as heat came to her face.

"Miss_ Vanilla_..." she said almost indignantly.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, and don't blame yourself, dear," Vanilla said quickly. "In fact, I should be thanking you for opening my eyes to what _could_ happen. You made the mistake, and now Cream and I can learn from it."

"A _mistake?_" Amy shrieked, her temper flared up. She looked over at Sierra, who had stopped coloring as soon as her mother raised her voice, her tiny lavender ears against her head. "Are you saying my daughter and son are _mistakes_? How dare you-"

"Amy, please..." Vanilla soothed, as she hated Amy's temper. _That **is** what I'm saying... but you shouldn't be upset, it's **true...**_

"Mommy, why are you mad?" Sierra asked in such a sweet voice that Amy couldn't help but calm down.

"I'm not angry, honey..." Amy wilted a little and reached over to ruffle her daughter's quills, though she sent a rather angry glance back at Vanilla.

The subject changed after this, but Vanilla's mind stayed on the situation with Cream.

_And even Amy, my one last advocate in this world, didn't agree with me...? Am I really being to strict? It doesn't matter... I've already told Cream my rules and I can't change my mind now... I have to let her know that when I tell her something, I mean it. I can't be fickle and wishy-washy... otherwise she won't respect me and take me seriously. I have to put my foot down and show some tough love... even if I'm the only one who thinks I'm doing the right thing. I just hope that I can enforce it...  
_

The rain had all but stopped, leaving just a misty haze in the air as the three left the mall, but Vanilla decided to part ways with them anyway, and headed back home. On the walk back to the train station, she pulled out her cell phone and looked through the contacts, trying to find someone else she could chat with.

One particular name caught her eye and she thought for a second before nodding and pressing the green button. In fact, she honestly couldn't think of a better person to talk to, as this one had helped her out in the past. It rang for a good half a minute before the other end picked up.

"Hello?" A deep, distinctive voice spoke on the other end.

"Detective Vector?"

"Oh, Ms. Vanilla, how're you doing?" Vector asked with obvious excitement.

The two exchanged polite greetings.

"So what can I do for you?"

"I have a case for you boys. See, I'm worried about my daughter, Cream. She's growing up and I'm afraid she might be doing some inappropriate things. I was hoping you and your colleagues could keep an eye on her."

"It'll be my pleasure, miss."

Feeling better though she wasn't sure why, Vanilla hung up the phone after giving a few more details... But little did she know that she was headed for an empty house, as her daughter had left to find Tails...

* * *

**Author's Notes - **For those of you about to throw up because of the VectorxVanilla hints... please, chill out. I'm not making any promises, but if anything happens between them, it will be minor. Honestly, if you don't like the couple, I'm sorry. But I'm the author.

Now, as for Cream running away... well, I needed something to throw her over the edge and say "this is the last straw," and I thought the whole thunderstorm thing would be a good way. Though she was harboring those rebellious, disgruntled thoughts for a while now, so it's not really all that random.

(The fact that everyone is jealous of Sonic and Amy makes me more happy than it should...)

No more promises about the next update. I'm having fun playing the Adventure games. The Chao are worth price of the game, honestly... and not to mention the awesome levels. (I am so 8 years behind the times. :P)

Anyway, Happy Holidays to everyone!


	5. Taken By Storm

Vyvyan the Rabbit, holospartoi258, AutoKnight01, enustiKehTelkcaJ, Jonman14, cookythefoxcat, SherryBlossom, Delta 2-1, [no name], TrumpetGirl818, Rafael Pereira, MKSfan14, 01sonamy01, ghosthead8503, SkulY2K, Mana the Cat Magician, Kurumi-chan.

Chapter 5: Taken By Storm

* * *

Running... that's all he could do and think about right now. His crystal blue eyes were blinded by the sheets of rain crashing down to the earth, and and his fur stung in sharp, painful pricks from the raindrops. But still, his feet sloshed on, through the mud and puddles that soaked the previously firm earth. Tails had already slipped and tripped at least six times, and his fur paid the price by carrying lovely brown stains.

And that wasn't even the worst of his problems.

No, the biggest problem was that every thirty seconds, the ashen gray sky would light up for a brief instant, and Tails would cringe in anticipation, only to be shaken by an ungodly loud boom that made him just want to curl up and die. But he couldn't stop... not even for an instant. For Tails knew, if anything, that he had to get home. It wasn't safe to be outside in this weather.

So he kept on running, his namesakes spinning behind him to speed him up. Normally Tails traveled by flying, but in this case, he knew that being higher up just meant he was more susceptible to being struck down by the dangerous lightning bolts. So he stayed on the ground, tripping and pushing his way through thorny bushes and around gnarled trees, being rewarded with the rain dripping through their wind-blown leaves.

"I have to get home," he muttered to no one in particular as his red and white shoes kept pumping. He was trying to keep his mind on the obstacles in front of him and not on what had happened back at Cream's house -

Flash!

A bright yellow bolt streaked down from the sky, and Tails immediately yelled and dove for the ground as the ear-splitting boom followed less than a second later. Oh jeez, it was_ that_ close...? It had almost hit him... Tails looked skyward, blinking at the rain piercing his eyes, trying to see if there was anything that was about to fall on him - oh no!

"Aaaah!" Tails let out a scream as he vaguely made out a tree branch plummeting down, aimed right for him.

He desperately rolled to his left, fueled by adrenaline and an innate desire to stay safe. _Oh no oh no oh no... _Rocks and a small bush poked into his stomach and chest, and Tails winced but kept on rolling -

CRASH!

He froze as the large tree branch slammed down onto the patch of earth where he'd _just_ been lying. For a few seconds, Tails couldn't move... his chest was heaving as he realized how close he'd been to being flattened by that branch. _Did that just... happen? If I hadn't moved... I'd be a pancake right now... man... I can't believe I was that close to being hit by lightning or a tree branch...  
_

Once Tails' shock wore off, it was replaced by a dull ache pulling all over his bruised body. He'd hit the deck pretty hard when he'd dove that last time, and the pain was starting to catch up with him. Right now, his whole body ached, and yet, the rain was falling even faster, pricking onto his fur and skin. He couldn't stay here... he was lying in the forest in the middle of a thunderstorm!

_I have to get home, _he thought and was about to lift himself up, when suddenly - _  
_

"Tails!"

Oh... how in the world? And yet... there was nothing that the fox would rather hear than that sweet voice... even if it was laced with desperation. He slowly lifted his head out of the mud and turned to search for the owner of the voice.

"Tails!" she called out again, and appeared from behind a beech tree. Upon seeing her crush in such a horizontal state, Cream quickly raced over to kneel by his shaking form.

"Are you okay?" she asked with desperation and laid a hand on his shoulder. Oh, she knew she should have gone after him! But this was all her Mom's fault! Why did she have to send Tails out in this weather...?

The fox rolled over again, just as a flash of lightning illuminated Cream's face for him. Tails cringed again, and the preteens' eyes met in scared contact. Cream let out a relieved sigh to see that there wasn't much pain reflected in Tails' gaze.

"I'm fine..." Tails croaked in a shaky voice, still recovering from that last flash. He stared at Cream's face for a second, through the sheets of rain that were still falling between them, before trying to sit up. He extended his hands behind him to support his weight and hefted himself up.

A sharp throb stung his left tail as the fox brought his upper body off the ground.

"Ow," he groaned, causing Cream to gasp.

"What's wrong?" she asked and looked over his dirty body.

_I must have landed on it when I fell_, he realized and winced, his fingers stroking through the matted down, wet, and muddy fur on the appendage.

"My tail... it hurts," Tails said. "But... I'll be fine."

Cream bit her lip as she looked at the sad state the fox was in.

"We have to get somewhere safe," Cream decided as she looked back up at the sky, only to be rewarded with two large raindrops falling right into her eyes. She blinked in pain, and then stood up, extending a hand to help Tails to his feet.

Another light flashed across the sky, and Tails' heart clenched again, knowing what was coming. A loud rumble of thunder followed suit, and at the boom, Tails tightly clutched Cream's hand in support. Seeing his fear, Cream brought her other hand to sandwich his between both of hers in comfort.

And despite the storm raging around them, Tails finally felt his heart calm down somewhat at her tender touch. And as he studied her smile through the pouring rain, he suddenly realized that she must have chased after him, just to make sure he was safe. How sweet of her, how thoughtful...

"C'mon, we're closer to your house now," Cream asserted gently and started pulling him along behind her.

Tails blinked, realizing what she meant. But she was going to come with him...? Oh well, he wouldn't complain.

"You're right..." he said and set his face firmly, and determined not to look like a wimp anymore today, starting scurrying off to shelter, gripping the hand of a very brave and beautiful rabbit.

... & ...

"Oh, at least it's dry in here," Tails said as soon as he stepped inside his own home and sealed the storm off by closing the door. He was feeling embarrassed at his fear and appearance, not to mention awkward that Cream was here, alone, in his house with him. The rest of the journey here was largely uneventful, which Tails had chalked up to Cream's presence - apparently, she was a good luck charm... and made him more confident. When she was there... it was almost like she was half of his heart. The stronger half, apparently.

The storm still hadn't died down, much to Tails dismay; thunder and lightning were still making their boisterous and unwelcome presence known. But at least the roof offered a much-needed barrier to protect them from anymore rain.

"Yeah... are you sure you're okay?" Cream couldn't stop looking over his soiled body enough.

Tails felt a blush travel up his cheeks at her inspection. Did she like what she saw, underneath all the mud...? "I'm fine... but I'm gonna go clean up, okay?" he said, anxious to get all the mud off of himself.

Cream nodded in understanding, then looked back down at her own soaked dress. She'd barely even noticed the rain, as she'd been so worried about Tails. But she now that they were inside, she didn't want to keep this dress on, as it was heavily clinging to her fur. But what could she do? She hadn't brought a change of clothes with her... _oh, the one time I get to spend alone with Tails, I'm stuck in a soaking wet dress... oh well... at least we're both safe._

Before he was about to turn, Tails noticed Cream's predicament, and how the dress was hugging her figure. He blushed at the resulting thoughts that rampaged through his mind, but then an idea struck him.

"Uh, Cream?"

She looked up from her dress. "Yes?"

"Um... I have a bathrobe... would you like to put it on?" he offered.

A lovely smile lit up Cream's face. She should have known Tails would find a solution. "Aw, thanks... that's sweet of you."

Tails nodded, but was still blushing. "No problem... you can take the bathroom first, if you want, the robe should be hanging up in there."

Cream shook her head, sending water droplets flying across Tails' entrance hall. "No, you go first, you need to get all that mud off."

"I'll be okay, you should take that dress off," Tails said.

Both of their blushes grew at this remark.

"I - I mean -"

Cream giggled a little, nervously, and started heading for the bathroom. "I know what you meant. And thanks Tails..."

"Thank_ you_... for coming after me..." he said quietly.

Cream turned back to him. "How could I not, when you came for me earlier? I know how much you hate thunder, and I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone in that storm..."

Tails kicked his shoe back and forth nervously. "Thanks anyway... I... I really better go get this mud off," he said and shyly ran off to his garage, still nervous to be alone with his crush.

Cream felt a smile grow up her face as her eyes followed his retreating form. Oh, even with mud splattered across his face, how could he manage to still be so cute? And despite how scared he was of thunder, Cream had thought it admirable of him to run into the storm anyway... Tails was simply an amazing boy. And now, she was alone with him, in his house... about to go put on one of his bathrobes, that he had offered. Yes, now she was _finally_ free to spend some time with him. Her heart pounded in excitement at the thought, and Cream grinned and then hopped off to the bathroom, loving the feel of danger a little too much.

... & ...

With cups of hot chocolate in hand, the two preteens plopped on the carpeted floor in front of a space heater to get dry and warm, sitting about a foot apart. Tails had gotten most of the mud off of his fur, and Cream had donned Tails' blue bathrobe while her soaked dress was dripping dry in the bathroom. Of course, the knowledge that she was wearing Tails' clothes made Cream feel giddy. The robe itself was very soft, probably made of some cotton blend. Even so, as Cream snuggled into the robe, she couldn't help but wish that Tails would snuggle with her.

Tails' mind was on a different but still similar topic - why and how Cream had come after him. The girl was incredibly brave to run into a powerful thunderstorm, just to be sure he was okay. Especially since Vanilla seemed to be keeping such a tight hold on her. But he wasn't about to question whether Cream had cleared her departure with her mom (she probably hadn't, and he didn't want to ask and make her think he was trying to get her to leave). So as he looked over at the rabbit, who sat with her knees under her chin and shivering... he wanted so desperately to put his arm around her, snuggle with her, and let her know that he was stronger than the coward he'd been back in the forest. But he couldn't even bring himself to do that much, and so he muttered,

"I'm such a coward..."

The words quietly escaped his lips, but not softly enough to evade the hearing of a rabbit. Cream turned to look at him, and frowned at seeing Tails' downturned lips.

"No you're not... what you did was very brave... you faced your fears..." Cream assured him and scooted a little closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

Tails blushed at her contact, but couldn't think of moving away. "Thanks, Cream, but... " he drifted off, still not wanting to mention Vanilla. No, he would do anything to keep Cream right here with him, with her sweet head fitting so perfectly on his shoulder. One of her ears fell down his back, and the tip brushed the base of his tails. He moved his head just a little to catch Cream's eye, and blushed as he realized she'd been looking at him.

But he couldn't let his shyness or his confusion stop him this time... this may be the only time he'd get to spend with Cream, and he wanted to make the best of it. Slowly, shyly, he lifted his good tail and extended it around Cream's back and waist, wrapping the girl in warmth and pulling her even closer to himself.

Cream let out a small gasp of surprise at this gesture, but still loved the feeling of his tail wrapped around her. She snuggled against his shoulder and then raised her arms to encircle his chest and hug him. Even though he was still a little damp, his warmth more than made up for it.

"That's not the one that's hurt, is it?" Cream was almost afraid to ask, but didn't want to be causing him anymore pain.

"No... it can't be hurt if it's around you..." Tails said softly.

Brown and blue eyes met again, and both of their hearts fluttered.

The two held each other for a while until the warmth of the the embrace eclipsed any comfort the space heater could produce.

Even though the storm had gradually faded from the raging tempest to a steady rain, a stray roll of thunder boomed through the house, shaking the window shutters. Tails yelped, only to feel Cream pull him closer in her small but strong arms. As he felt her in his arms, the fear didn't spike quite as much. Tails was so glad that she was there, to comfort him...

"Sorry..." Tails apologized, still feeling like a wimp, though he really had no desire to let go of the rabbit.

"I don't mind holding you," Cream admitted and smiled at him, though a blush grew up her cheeks.

It was then, as Cream turned to look back into his irresistible blue eyes, that the full weight of what she was doing dawned on her. If her mom saw her right now, then she'd be dead. Oh, but how could this be wrong? All she was doing was hugging a boy... Cream felt a frown tug at her mouth; she knew Vanilla loved her, and Cream loved her as well... but Cream didn't want to be under Vanilla's thumb for the rest of her life. She wanted to make her own decisions. Wasn't she old enough now?

And right now, it was only them... with no Vanilla around. Cream was alone with a boy... and not just any boy..._ Tails_. The one whom she'd come to want and care for more than anyone else. He was right here... she was holding onto him, and he completed the embrace. Cream nuzzled into the drying fur on his shoulder and neck. He smelled wonderful... like a unique spice that Cream had never tried, but was dying to.

She suddenly realized how close their faces were... Tails' was bright red from what couldn't be just the weather. She could kiss him right now... there was absolutely nothing to stop her, either... all she had to do was lift her face up a few inches, press her lips against his... and then, magic... oh what would it feel like for their lips to finally meet? Cream couldn't wait to find out. She was finally alone with Tails.

Having only one desire, she lifted her head up so her lips brushed against the soft fur on his muzzle and whiskers. She started making her way toward her desired destination, wanting to kiss him so badly...

Tails froze from fear as he felt Cream start honing in on his lips._ Oh my gosh, is she really about to kiss me? But I thought... she couldn't date... and her Mom is gonna kill us..._

_I don't want to get in trouble... if we get caught then Vanilla won't let me see her ever again... _he thought as he studied Cream's brown eyes. He could now feel her sweet breath on his mouth.

_Oh, you won't get caught, no one is around! C'mon, don't you want to kiss her?_

_I do... she's so pretty and sweet and kind... and I've always wondered what it felt like... of course I do, but... _

There was no more time for thoughts or a struggle as Tails suddenly felt his lips captured for the first time. His eyes flew open in surprise, but then soon closed as the pleasant tingles spread down from his lips and his muzzle to the rest of his body. The way she was kissing him was absolutely amazing, with both of her lips caressing his bottom lip and then moving up to the top. Tails had never felt like this before... so wonderful and light and free... sharing love and warmth and kisses and comfort with a girl...

And yet, he wasn't free... part of his heart was tainted with worry.

_Should I be doing this...?_ he wondered.

He tried to kick the thought out of his mind and enjoy the kiss, but it persisted and Tails felt his head pulling away a little. As soon as he opened his eyes and met Cream's confused and hurt expression, he hated himself. _Oh, why do I have to ruin everything, can't I do anything right...?_

_What did I do... does he really not like me after all?_ Cream wondered, her mind spinning with the options.

Tails' heart was hammering and his mind went blank, and he felt torn. But still, he protested, "But Cream... I thought you said your mom -"

Her soft lips cut him off again, and Tails succumbed to her sweet kiss, not wanting or able to pull away. Her lips were the softest and most wonderful things he'd ever felt... and Tails didn't want to stop, he had to have more of this feeling.

"She doesn't have to know..." Cream assured him when she pulled away, and raised her hand to stroke his large, triangular ears. "And you've made me so happy... should anything else matter?"

Tails looked deeply into her eyes..._ should_ anything else matter... but what they had and were feeling right now, together?

But before he could answer, Cream had leaned forward to press her lips against his once more.

Cream's lips continued to explore his own pair, dousing every inch of them in bliss. Tingles ran down his spine as he felt her delicate, soft as a rose petal lips caressing his. They were so smooth so soft... Tails had never felt something so tender and loving in his life. And her hands... one was wrapped around his neck, the other was smoothing down his back. She was holding him so tenderly, so close... Tails could even feel her gentle heartbeat through the borrowed bathrobe.

Finally but gradually, Tails felt his own tension and nervousness and uneasiness relax and melt away. After all... this was what he wanted, right? He began kissing her in return, adding his own lips and movements to their dance. His own desires and curiosity were killing him, and trumped the mental uneasiness he felt. For once, Tails was following his heart and not his head. It was a huge emotional release... like a dam had been broken in his chest, and he was free to finally give in. His heart began pounding as he pulled Cream even closer, using his tails as well as his arms to embrace her and pull her deeper into his lips.

He'd always been driven by curiosity... and this... this was his greatest discovery yet.

_Is this what love feels like?_ He wondered as he and Cream broke the kiss and panted against the other's mouth. If so... he had to have more of it.

"Wow..." he breathed, still panting.

A smile grew up Cream's mouth. Oh my... she had actually just kissed Tails... her heart fluttered and an odd thrill flooded her system. She'd done it. She'd actually defied her mother and sided with her crush. And she'd never been happier in her life.

"Tails..." she said and looked right into his eyes. "I know... that Mom doesn't want us together yet... and I know you told me you'd wait, but we don't have to. We can be together now. No one has to know, we can hide it."

She frowned as Tails did so first. "Please, Tails? I really like you... and we're not doing anything wrong just by being together... if we like each other and want this, than why should I have to listen to Mom?"

The fox looked away, still blushing and still torn. His conscience and logic were waging war with his desires and feelings. There was no question he wanted Cream... and all the other options were not plausible. He didn't want any other girl, he couldn't wait three more years. And he couldn't remain as just a friend to her, with Vanilla always supervising them. So this... as implausible as it was, might be the only thing left to do.

"You want to sneak around?" he asked, knowing that could never work.

Cream nodded, showing most of her innocence and naivete was still in tact, as she believed they could pull it off. "Yes... look, when I get home from school, Mom's not home from work yet... we could meet then."

Tails bit his lip, and sensibly added, "But where could we go? If we go out in public, then we'll be seen."

"We don't have to go anywhere... just being with you is enough for me..." Cream admitted and snuggled back into his shoulder before facing him again.

Tails nodded. "I want to be with you, too, Cream."

She blinked, her heart melting at his words. "You really do?" she squeaked.

"Yeah... I do," he admitted again, this time louder, and offered her a tender smile, though he was shaking. "I want you to be my girl."

"So you'll go out with me? Undercover?" Cream didn't know why she was suddenly so uneasy. The thought of deliberately disobeying her mother held it's own thrill, but she wasn't just doing this just for that reason, was she? No, she was doing it because her feelings for Tails were too strong to be ignored.

Slowly, Tails nodded his head up and down and pulled his new secret girlfriend closer. "Yeah... I do want to be with you... So we'll figure something out, Cream. Even if no one else knows and we're not official... I want _you_ to know that I_ do_ care for you. And even if we have to sneak around... well, I'll do it. For you."

Touched that Tails had accepted her despite the hassle, Cream felt her heart melt all over again. Oh... maybe this wasn't pulled straight out of a storybook... but Cream would take this over her boring, single life at home any day. "Thank you, Tails."

"You're welcome, Cream," he said and, gaining confidence, leaned forward to press his lips against her cheek.

The two spent the next half an hour holding each other and making detailed plans, before Cream glanced at the clock and realized if she wanted to beat her mother home, she'd have to leave now. Luckily, the storm had slowed down to a light, steady drizzle, so the travel time would be very short.

"I have to go, Tails," she said and reluctantly wiggled out of his arms.

As soon as she stood up and headed for the door, she already missed his embrace. "Goodbye, and thanks..."

"You're wel- Oh, what about your dress?" he asked, noticing she still had his robe on.

Cream looked down at herself and bit her lip. "It's probably not dry yet... Why don't you keep it here and I'll come back for it. I mean, if you don't mind me keeping your bathrobe..." she blushed again.

"No, it's fine, keep it. My first gift to you," it was Tails' turn to blush.

Cream giggled. "Thanks... goodbye..."

And with that, she ran home as fast as her strong rabbit-legs would take her. She arrived home just a few minutes before Vanilla came back, leaving absolutely no suspicion that anything inappropriate had happened, and further confirming in Cream's mind that she could probably pull this undercover dating thing off.

As she lied in bed that night, Cream felt her heart kept pounding in excitement and it refused to let her sleep. Maybe it was the fact that she was defying her mother and sneaking around behind her back. Maybe it was because she actually had a _boyfriend_ who liked her now. But more than likely, it was simply the memory of how perfectly Tails' smooth lips had molded against hers.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: I'm not gonna lie, this chapter was weird to write. I don't know if I pulled it off (especially Tails, he came out weird [maybe I'm losing my touch, or maybe it's just too late at night right now where I live]), but either way, I gave you all a nice big dose of TailsxCream romance. :) 'Bout time, I know...

...I have no idea when the next update will be. Not a clue. So enjoy this now... because I'm still planning out the rest of this story.


	6. Cream the Rebel

Novus Umbra, AutoKnight01, Mana the Cat Magician, Vyvyan the Rabbit, Jonman14, Mike Prower the Fox, Tyranifex, enustiKehTelkcaJ, TrumpetGirl818, GodsSonicGirl, Rafael Pereira, Kurumi-chan, Trinita, 01sonamy01, cheese15624, SkulY2K, poka, holospartoi258, Trinita, FantasyWriter17, SherryBlossom, Explothedarkone, UltimaXtreme: 

Aw man... what did I do to deserve so many reviewers? I can't believe it... You guys are awesome.

Good news! I have actually figured out where I'm going with this story. Man, it's really scary to start a story and not have the end planned out... I was afraid for a while that I'd have to pull out the "h-word" for this one... But anyway, this story is gonna take a bit of a different twist now, _so everything that I've said about this story... all bets are off now_. It's really the only way that I could see this working out for everyone... it's almost too easy and simple for my liking (complicated plots are more fun)... but it still has my fingerprints all over it.

Chapter 6: Cream the Rebel

* * *

"Oh, I have to _hurry.._."

Cream muttered to herself as she glanced up at the clock and winced before running back to the laundry room. She was zipping around her house, trying to get all her chores done quickly so they'd be finished by the time her mother got home, and she'd still get to spend some leftover time with Tails.

The two had decided that Tails would come over five days a week (they originally thought three, but it left both of them wanting), after Cream got home from school at two-thirty, and he'd leave at four-thirty, as Vanilla usually came home at five. Cream's house was their designated meeting place because they figured if anything went wrong, Cream would already be home, where she was supposed to be.

And so Cream was now living for those two hours she got to spend with Tails every day, even if they never went anywhere. Sometimes, they'd just talk and hang or go take a walk in the garden, or usually, they just plopped down on the loveseat to cuddle and watch a movie. Surprisingly enough, they'd managed to go on like this for nearly two weeks now, with Vanilla apparently being oblivious. The first few days, Cream had felt rebellious and thrilled and free, and loving the time she got to spend with Tails, yet there was also guilt... she was doing something she wasn't supposed to. And since the time she got to spend with her boyfriend was tainted with the guilt of "wrongdoing" and the fear that Vanilla would come home anytime, Cream found herself a little dissatisfied with their relationship and wanting more, now that the initial thrill had worn off a little.

But she was trying to look on the bright side; at least this was better than not getting to be with Tails at all, right? Besides, she may be disobeying her mother... but it was over a dumb rule. She wasn't hurting anyone... in fact, she was making herself and Tails happy. So she decided to bury any guilt or shame she was feeling, and just try and enjoy the moments she_ did_ get to spend with Tails.

"Cheese, will you help me fold this batch?" she asked of her chao as she threw a pile of warm, clean laundry down on the loveseat.

"Chao..." he whined and pouted.

"Please?" Cream begged. "Tails will be here any second, and I don't want him to see me folding clothes! And I still have to get changed out of my uniform and into a nice dress."

"Chao chao..." Cheese grumbled and readjusted his pink wings and fluttered to the pile.

"Thank you Cheese... for keeping this a secret, too," Cream said, and with that, she raced back upstairs to throw on a nicer outfit.

After a quick glance through her closet, Cream pulled out a powder blue dress (to match Tails' gorgeous eyes) and slipped into it after discarding her gaudy school uniform. After this came the makeup, just some eyeliner and mascara to make her eyes stick out. Cream didn't want to wear too much, knowing that her mother would be angry. Next up, Cream grabbed two silver chains with multicolored flower-pendants to adorn her ears, and with another look into the mirror, she headed back downstairs. Normally she didn't dress up so much, but she wanted to look nice for Tails.

"Thanks Cheese, you're a life saver..." Cream thanked her Chao and lovingly petted his head before running to distribute the clean laundry to their proper places.

The rustling of the back door reached her sensitive ears just as Cream finished putting away the last group of towels. She knew it had to be Tails... he always came in the back door, through the garden, so that he wouldn't be seen. She rushed over to the door, a grin adorning her face, as she swung it open to reveal her boyfriend, looking so cute with his twin tails curling behind him to form a soft, fluffy frame.

"Hi Tails," she said as he quickly slipped in.

"Hi," he responded and immediately wrapped Cream in a hug, one hand around her back, the other stroking her velvety soft ears.

The girl rested her head on his shoulder as her arms found their way around his chest. She ran her fingers through his bare fur as Tails softly kissed the top of her head, his lips tickling her growing fur.

Cream nuzzled deeper into his neck, and whispered, "I missed you today."

"I missed you, too," Tails said and closed his eyes in bliss, happy to be holding Cream. She made the uneasiness he felt coming over here worthwhile.

The first few times that Tails had been over, he hadn't felt comfortable. In fact, he could hardly enjoy being with his girl as the dark cloud of knowing that Vanilla could be home any time was hanging over his head. But now that he'd gotten away with being here for two weeks now, he was beginning to relax and look forward to these few hours each day.

Cream let out a small, happy moan before turning her head so she could look up at her guy. Tails was softly smiling down at her, and one look into his dazzling crystal blue eyes made Cream's little heart melt. His left hand moved from her ears to caress her cheek. Cream's smile grew as she felt his fingers tenderly work their way down to clasp her chin and guide her beautiful face up towards his.

Knowing what was coming, Cream smiled, closed her eyes, and puckered her lips. The next second, they were drenched in a tender and loving kiss. She extended her neck out and pulled Tails even closer against her body, wanting to enjoy the moment as much as possible. Oh, she had no idea why she loved the feeling of Tails' lips against hers, but every time they met... it was like, everything was right in the world, if just for a moment.

As the kiss lengthened, Tails' hand fell from her chin to her waist, and he gently sunk his fingers in to let her know he never wanted to let her go. Cream continued to kiss him, letting her lips brush against his, and releasing all the pent up emotions she'd been harboring. She began to wonder if she should try and use her tongue when Tails pulled away, already out of breath, as it'd been stolen since he'd first seen her that day.

Their eyes met again as small pants escaped their still hungry mouths. After just a few seconds break, the couple resumed kissing and cuddling, not able to get enough of the other. They were deprived of all contact for twenty-two out of twenty-four hours, and were finding out that abscence really did make the heart grow fonder. And now was the time to make up for it.

"C'mon, let's go sit down," Tails said during one of their breaks, and started untangling himself so that they could walk away.

"Wait..." Cream tightened her grip so he couldn't leave. "Why don't we go somewhere?"

"Where?" Tails asked. "We can't really leave..."

"Why not?" Cream looked away from Tails for just a second to glance at the clock. "As long as we're back before four, we should be okay..."

Tails bit his lip, nervousness surfacing in his heart. "But Cream..."

"But Tails..." she said tenderly, and raised her hand up to stroke behind his ear, knowing that was one of his favorite spots to be touched. "We can't stay here the whole time... It's getting boring. I want to _do_ something..."

"I know..." Tails agreed. "But look, it'll be the one time that we leave that we'll get caught. We're already taking a risk by me being here. Let's just play it safe."

Cream frowned and looked down at her shoes. She knew he was right... but this whole thing still felt so unfair to her. She was about to say something when Tails raised his hand again to take hold of her face, lifting it up to meet his tender gaze. His thumb gently brushed over her soft lips.

"Hey, don't be sad... you look so much prettier when you smile..." Tails said with a blush. "We still have each other, right?"

"You're right." A smile replaced her frown. "We only get to spend a few hours together... let's not be sad during that time."

Tails nodded. "That sounds more like you, Cream. Now c'mon, I think there's a loveseat with our name on it."

A soft giggle escaped Cream. "Yeah... let's go."

She unwrapped herself from around her boyfriend, and then the two took hands to walk into the living room. The next few hours passed by quickly, with the teenage couple snuggling and kissing and talking... just spending some sweet, quality time together. It was heaven for the two of them, and they hardly seemed to notice the clock ticking away the hours...

Until the door handle suddenly started wiggling. Then both teen's blood froze. Their lips instantly parted, and they frantically started untangling themselves.

"Oh no... Tails! Run, hurry!" Cream yelled frantically as she pushed him away.

"Where should I go?" Tails asked with wide, scared eyes as he looked around. Oh man, oh man... he was in trouble...

"Up to my room... my closet!" Cream called out, and the fox dashed towards the stairs, using his namesakes to quickly propel himself up.

Cream watched him run and let out a sigh of relief as he was out of sight when the door swung open. She did a swift glance down at herself to make sure that she didn't look too frazzled, and then jumped up to face her mother.

"Hi Mom," she said, trying not to sound too flustered.

"Hi dear," the older rabbit said as she came in with a huge smile adorning her face. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Cream said and swallowed nervously. Her brown eyes flew up towards the stairs, as if she was checking to see if Tails might be still in plain sight. Oh, this wasn't good... what if her mother randomly wanted to go up and check her room? That would be just her luck.

Mother and daughter talked for a few moments, catching up on the necessities, before Vanilla dropped the bomb.

"Just letting you know, Cream, I'm going to an outing tonight."

Cream raised an eyebrow, and her pulse picked up. Did this mean her mother wouldn't be around tonight? "An _outing_? For what?"

"Oh, just with Detective Vector."

She blinked a few times, processing this information. Cream knew that her mother and Vector were good friends, and she'd often wondered if there would ever be anything more between them. She wasn't quite sure what to think about having him as a step-father...

"A date?" Cream asked curiously, her eyebrow raised.

Vanilla immediately blushed. "Of course not, dear! But either way, I need to get ready first."

Cream really didn't care whether it was a date or not... her mind was on a certain two-tailed fox that was still hiding up in her bedroom.

_Mom's going to be gone for the next few hours... that means that Tails gets to stay, and me and him still get to have fun._ A grin found it's way onto her lips. "Okay mom, sounds fine," she said, trying to hold back her excitement, though she couldn't help but giggle a little.

Vanilla nodded. "I knew you'd be fine with this. However, since I'm not going to be home, Vector's going to bring Espio and Charmy over to help watch you."

Cream's blood froze and her jaw dropped. Oh crap. "But_ Mom_, I don't need a _babysitter_, I'm thirteen!"

Vanilla frowned. It was outbursts like these that made her so sad that Cream wasn't the sweet little girl she used to be. Then again, Cream hadn't changed that much, and wasn't even complaining anymore about her dating privileges being taken away anymore. In fact, she had mysteriously shaped up in the past week or so, and that left Vanilla a little suspicious. Could it be that she'd just come to accept the restrictions Vanilla had placed on her? It was possible, but Vanilla wasn't sure. Which is why she was going to meet with Vector later tonight.

"I know you're thirteen, honey, but I don't want you to be here alone in the evening."

"I'll be okay, Mom, I promise. Nothing's going to happen... if you just leave your phone on, I'll call you if anything comes up, honest," Cream said eagerly, hoping she wouldn't be spending the evening trying to hide Tails from a nosy Charmy and sneaky Espio. Oh, the poor fox was going to starve up there... "Why can't you just trust me?"

Vanilla smiled and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "I can trust you, Cream. It's the others I _can't_ trust."

Cream frowned. "Well, then why are you leaving me home alone with two _guys_..." an idea hit her, and Cream allowed her grin to take over her face. "You know, Charmy_ is_ kinda cute..." she turned away, pretending to giggle, and instead held back a grimace. _Uuugh, I can't believe I just said that... yuck..._

Vanilla paled. Why hadn't she thought of that? Was it because she was too busy focusing on her "date" with Vector that night? The woman shook her head. But what could she do? She wouldn't dream of leaving her home alone. But then again, she did that every day, before she got home from work. The only other thing she could think was -

"Oh, alright then... I'll call up Amy and ask her to-"

Cream bit her lip. How could she get out of this one...? _"Mom_... how late are you going to be out with _Vector_, anyway? Besides, isn't it safer for me to just stay here? I mean, Sonic and Amy live pretty far away... and we live in a safe neighborhood," she reasoned.

It was Vanilla's turn to gnaw at her lip, but a quick glance at the clock let her know that she had to start getting ready to meet with Vector. So even if she wasn't totally comfortable with the idea...

"Alright, honey... I'll leave you alone for the evening." Cream had to draw upon every ounce of willpower she had to stop herself from jumping up and down. "BUT, if anything, and I do mean _anything_ happens... please call me, okay, honey? I think there's enough food in the fridge for you."

"Thanks Mom. I"ll be fine."

"Okay... I hope so. Now I need to finish getting ready."

And with that, the two rabbits parted ways for the evening. Cream snuck back into her room and closed the door. She tiptoed to her closet and swung it open, only to see a scared looking Tails peeking back at her.

"Is the coast clear?" he whispered.

Cream shook her head. "Not yet... but good news is that Mom's leaving on a date soon... and then we got another few hours to spend together."

Tails' eyes got huge. That was a rare stroke of luck for him. "Really?"

Cream nodded and then after a quick glance at her door, she leaned up to Tails and lovingly nuzzled against his nose. "Mmmm-hmmm..."

The fox blushed but pulled Cream into his arms. "Good. Now can I get out of this closet?"

"Shhhh... in a few minutes," Cream said and giggled as she cuddled against his furry chest.

"I can wait," Tails said and rested his head on top of Cream's, inhaling her heavenly floral scent... which smelled much better than her musty closet.

... & ...

A few leftover rays of light shone through the pristine glass window and illuminated a table, which housed a crocodile and a rabbit, resting by it's side. The two adults shared a booth built for two in the burger shop near Central City, and engaged in polite small talk before the real topic was brought up by Vector.

"Miss Vanilla, what was it you wanted to discuss with me?" he asked as he twirled the straw around his drink.

"So... what have you found out about my daughter? I know I called you a few weeks ago, and I trust that you've been following up on that? You know I told you I think that she might be doing things behind my back that I don't know about. And I have no way of knowing what my own daughter is doing, Vector... that scares me a little," Vanilla shuddered a little.

"I don't think you have to worry, Ma'am," Vector assured her. "The boys and I have been watching to make sure she gets to and from school everyday without anything happening. In fact, we've found that she always goes straight home and doesn't make any stops on the way. Of course, we didn't spy on her once she's in the house, but we watched the front door and saw no one else come in, either."

Vanilla let out a sigh of relief; she knew that Cream was behaving, but it felt good to hear the confirmation and know that she had three other pairs of eyes on her daughter. "Thank you, Vector... It's good to know that she's not up to anything..."

Despite her words, Vanilla still couldn't summon a smile onto her face. Something was eating at her, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Something's still bothering you, isn't it?" Vector asked, tilting his head knowingly. Reading people was something that came with being a good detective.

Vanilla's head bobbed up and down slowly, though she was surprised that Vector noticed her distress. "It's just that... I feel like I'm losing Cream," she confessed. "She seems happy, but she's just... not the Cream I'm used to. She's become so distant, so... independent. And... Vector, she's really all that I have left. Ever since Jesse left me alone with her... I've been trying to keep her close. And so when I told her she couldn't date... I know it must be hard on her to wait, but it really is for her own good. I love her, Vector. Why can't she see that?"

The detective mused for a minute. "You've raised Cream very well... almost too well. And you've kept her close her entire life, Miss. So maybe she's just trying to become her own person. Sometimes... you just have to let them go, and let her figure out the way she should live for herself. Some people are like that, they just need to experience life for themselves before they can understand and grow and become who they are. You shouldn't worry... Cream will come around eventually. She's just at a tender age right now where she's experimenting," Vector explained.

"But I can't just let her run around crazy, trying things that aren't good for her, just for the sake of experimenting! She'll get into so much pain and heartbreak and trouble that she'd otherwise avoid, if she'd just be smart and listen. Why can't she just understand that she's too young to know what she's getting into, and that I'm her mother... oh, you don't understand..." Vanilla muttered and looked down at the wooden booth. "No one does..."

"I do," Vector suddenly said.

"But you don't have any children, do you?" Vanilla asked, although she already knew that answer.

"Oh no, I've never -" he paused, realizing what he'd been about to say. "No, I don't. But I've raised Charmy just like he was my own son, even though he's only fourteen years younger than me. So in a way... I do have a kid."

"How did you react to Charmy growing up?" Vanilla wondered.

Vector gave her a large, toothy grin. "I'm still waiting for that to happen."

The two shared a laugh, and then Vector turned away, partially from nervousness. Now shy was never a word associated with the croc, but this time, maybe for the first time ever, he found himself hesitating.

"Anyway Ms. Vanilla, I do understand that you're worried about your daughter. I think you're just going to have to hold on and let Cream know that you still love her. But if you're still afraid that she might be doing things behind your back... then I will make it my duty to keep an eye on her," Vector had to pause and clear his throat.

"Thank you, Vector... I really appreciate your help and advice," Vanilla gave him a sweet smile that melted his heart.

"But also... uhm, well..." Vector scratched his head. "I didn't want to take you out here just so we could talk about your daughter, and this job."

Vanilla blinked, for she had a feeling of where this was going. Just the thought had a blush crawling up her cheeks. "Oh?"

"Well..." he extended his hand across the table to gently rest it on top of hers. As soon as she felt this contact, Vanilla knew what he was about to say, and feelings that hadn't arisen in her heart for over a decade suddenly surfaced.

"I came to say that, you've become very special to me," Vector continued, in the softest voice Vanilla had heard out of the crocodile. "And... I was wondering if you'd like to go out more often."

Vanilla blinked, and the odd sensations in her heart prevented her from offering a response immediately. All she could do was stare at him, and his oddly handsome face. It'd been so long, oh so long since she'd been asked out... Vanilla wasn't the type of rabbit that got out much anyway, especially since she had a young daughter to raise.

But now... here was a man that she had come to know fairly well, who had always been polite and morally upstanding and a good guy (she'd seen him turn down immoral work before). She certainly felt comfortable around him, and not to mention those odd feelings that felt so strangely familiar. And then... there was a chance that she could have a _family_ again, and there was nothing that Vanilla wanted more than that. The type of man she'd always wanted to be with wasn't likely to be with her now that she had "baggage" from a previous marriage... and yet Vector didn't seem to care about that. In fact... he seemed more than willing to help her raise Cream as it was.

"Why, Vector... I'm flattered."

His lips pulled into a frown, thinking that was her polite way of turning him down. _Of course, she already has a daughter, she's probably not wanting to start over, is she... there isn't anyway she'd be interested in me anyway... we were just friends, I shouldn't have asked...  
_

"Vector..." she breathed his name again. "Thank you very much. I would love to go out with you."

The crocodile gasped. "Really?"

"Of course," Vanilla assured him, and laughed, a high tinkling sound. She placed her other hand on top of his and smiled, studying his warm brown eyes. "It's just... it's been awhile..." she turned to look out the window, suddenly overcome with emotions that she hadn't felt in a long time.

_Oh goodness gracious... don't tell me I've had these feelings for him and never noticed them..._

She chanced a peek back at the crocodile, and had to match his silly grin.

"It's okay, Miss. We don't have to rush into anything. I understand."

"Thank you, Vector... you're a... nice man," she said, stumbling over finding a correcct adjective.

The two continued on with their conversation until the bill came. The two froze, before Vanilla started reaching for her purse.

"Oh no, the gentleman always pays on the first date," Vector said.

"Oh, you're so old-fashioned," Vanilla teased him, though she was inwardly glowing that he'd offered to do so, as that was really how it was supposed to be.

As Vector walked Vanilla home that night, she found herself surprised at how flustered she was. She kept up her end of the conversation well enough, but still found herself blushing, even at something as simple as holding hands. Why, Vanilla even found herself in the awkward, stereotypical "is-he-gonna-kiss-me" position at the end of the date. Of course, true to his word, Vector simply gave her a peck on the cheek... but even that proved to be the catalyst to even more of those feelings swirling through Vanilla's heart.

And later that night, Vanilla was so lost in her own thoughts and feelings that she didn't hear the hum of two tails helicoptering a fox out of her house.

_It's been so long, since I've felt the love of a man... I've forgotten what that felt like... how it makes you feel so much more secure and loved. I've forgotten how much I needed it, how much we** all** need it...  
_

_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:** GUYS. I'm the most predictable writer ever, so it should be obvious what's going to happen. As I said, it's simple, but it works. And yes, it involves Vector and Vanilla. Vanilla plays a huge role in this story, so it makes sense that I'm writing about her a lot, as she's essentially what I needed to overcome to get the main couple together. I did write some adorable Tails and Cream fluff though (man, I was dyin' for some... even if it's not my hedgies, it's still fun.)

I really really want to get this story done by the tenth, as that's when I go back to college, and I'll have zero free time after that. And *sigh* I dunno if I'll be able to. I'll try, but I don't want to rush it, either. So don't be surprised if I'm scarce around here... I'm just trying to get my stuff done.

Thanks for reading!


	7. Private Eyes

AutoKnight01, Gamer Dude, Tyranifex, Novus Umbra, poka, MKSfan14, TheUltimaXtreme, 01sonamy01, Trinita, TrumpetGirl818, BlissofanAngel (x2), enustiKehTelkcaJ, Kurdave125, Jonman14, Vyvyan the Rabbit, Delta 2-1, kizzie, holospartoi258, ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Writer's Freedom:

...I don't know where all my inspiration went. I just haven't been in a romance mood of late. And since this is not going to be done by the tenth, I'm just going to take my time and not rush it now. Though I can't believe that I'm almost up to a month now on this story... :/

But for helping me get back on track, I want to thank three people that I steal stuff from... I - I mean, my friends!

Thanks to The Pen Vs The Sword for giving me some good ideas , thanks Bullet Nick for helping me figure out how to crack Vanilla, and thanks to Jackle for being my absolutely insane muse for all things TailsxCream. You guys rock my socks off... and now my feet are cold. Thanks~! Enjoy this chapter, everyone! ;)

Chapter 7: Private Eyes

* * *

On a warm, mild Saturday afternoon, two rabbits sat comfortably at home, despite the balmy weather that beckoned all to come out and enjoy it. A book lay open on Vanilla's lap, while Cream was busy watching TV; mother and daughter were wrapped up in different worlds. Cream, though, kept glancing up at the clock and fidgeting. The girl had a plan for the next few hours, and was praying that she would be able to get away with it.

_Alright, it's almost 2, I should probably ask Mom now..._ She swallowed from nervousness and brought a hand up to her chest to calm her pounding heart. _Just calm down, Cream, and act like it's no big deal... If you act nervous, Mom will catch on._

But before she could open her mouth, a rapid knock on the door prevented her.

"I'll get it," Vanilla offered and slipped in her bookmark, then stood up to answer.

She was greeted by a grinning blue hedgehog.

"Hey Ms. Vanilla, Cream," Sonic said, glancing behind the rabbit.

"Hello Mr. Sonic, would you like to come in?" Vanilla offered.

"Oh no, I still got a lot of zones to go today," he said, referring to his stuffed mail bag. "I just came over to give you these." He extended his hand to give Vanilla a stack of bills to pay. "And just to let you know, tomorrow Amy's going in for her ultrasound, and we get to find out what we have," Sonic's grin grew.

"Oh my, that_ is_ exciting," Vanilla smiled. "What do you think?"

Sonic rolled his eyes a little, "Well, last time, me and Amy argued over it, and we got twins. So this time, I said we're having a girl since I thought Amy would say the same, and I want to save her the trouble. But then _she _turns around and says 'no, it's a boy'... so yeah, I don't know. We might have twins again, we'll see."

"Well, I hope that he or she is healthy for both of you."

"Oh yeah, she will be," Sonic grinned. "Thanks, Ms. Vanilla. Now I gotta split..."

"Bye Sonic!" came a shout from inside the house.

Sonic grinned and then stuck his head further in, then raised a gloved hand to point at Cream and winked. "That's_ Mister_ Sonic to you, missy."

The younger rabbit rolled her eyes as Sonic zoomed from their house, leaving a boom in his wake. Vanilla looked down at the stack of bills that needed to be paid, and started heading for her bedroom to grab her checkbook. _Might as well get them sent out today. _After the short trip, she sat at the kitchen table to start going through her budget.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Cream cleared her throat and stood up, turning to her mother.

"Mom... do you mind if I go out and get some ice cream?" Cream asked, kicking her shoe back and forth in nervousness. "I haven't been in a while."

Vanilla looked up from her mountain of papers. "Sure honey... can you wait for me to be done?"

Cream bit her lip and fidgeted, rocking back and forth. "Um... well, you don't have to come... I can take Cheese," she referred to the chao who was hovering over her left shoulder.

Vanilla tilted her head. "Just to go get ice cream?"

"Yeah... I might take a walk, too... i-it's a nice day," Cream said, trying to calm her heart down. This technically wasn't_ lying_, was it?

Her mother hemmed and hawed, but then shrugged. "Alright then, be careful, and take Cheese with you."

A sigh of relief escaped Cream, and she headed outside. "Oh, thanks mom... I'll be okay, I promise. Bye!"

Even after the door had slipped close, Vanilla found it hard to concentrate on balancing her check book, and she kept glancing back at the door.

_Should I have let her go by herself? _

_Don't overreact, don't overreact, don't... she's just going to get ice cream. It's not a big deal..._

And yet, her motherly instinct kept gnawing at her heart, telling her that something was wrong. It was in the way Cream had fidgeted and stuttered...

_Oh, don't overreact! _

She reached for her pocket and slipped the phone halfway out before shoving it back in.

_No... I have to trust her. I have to..._

_But something's wrong, I can just feel it..._

Y_ou're overreacting! You need to let her grow up! Cream isn't going to do anything!_

Vanilla shook the thoughts out of her head and turned back to her numbers, though her internal war was still waging. After another minute of hesitating and thinking, Vanilla threw her pen down on the table in defeat and let her weary face fall into calloused hands.

_Oh, how can I concentrate on money when all I can think about is my daughter... why did I let her go alone? _

_You've done it before..._

_Oh, what's wrong with me? I know it's not that big of a deal... but I just don't want to lose her... she's all I have left... _

With trembling fingers, the rabbit dislodged the phone from her pocket and ran through the short list of contacts, trying to read the names with bleary vision. But despite the misty tears, she was still able to pick out the six letters that were growing dearer to her heart by the day.

_Vector..._

His words from the other day echoed in her head: "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

Not knowing what else to do, Vanilla dialed his number.

... & ...

The teen rabbit stepped inside the ice cream parlor with a small skip, which was slower than the full on gallop she'd been at to get here quick enough. She approached the counter without any hesitation, as she'd been here so many times.

"Hello there Cream," a peppy penguin said to the regular customer.

"Hey, I'll take two scoops on a sugar cone, strawberry and vanil-" she stopped herself. _Too plain._ "And cotton candy."

"Absolutely."

While her cone was being scooped, Cream did a quick glance around the parlor, making sure that no one she knew was here. Just as soon as she'd surveyed each and every booth, her eyes noticed a certain bee sitting in a lone booth in the corner, chowing down on a huge fudge sundae.

Cream immediately whipped her head around, praying the Charmy wouldn't notice her. If he did, he'd probably immediately pick up his phone and call his boss, alerting him that she was without an "escort." And then there was _no way_ she'd get to meet with Tails...

"Here you are Cream," the penguin finally handed her the cone, and Cream exchanged it for a bill that should cover the cost.

"Thanks... and keep the change," Cream said and then raced out of the parlor, still hoping to reach her destination on time.

In her haste, she ended up making the turn right before the door too fast, and her shoulder collided with the sharp corner of a booth that jutted out into the path.

"Ow," she loudly grumbled and rubbed the now-aching muscle, but when she lifted her eyes, noticed that every eye was on her... probably including the yellow pair belong to Charmy Bee.

She blushed, but not wanting to waste anymore time, Cream zoomed out of the parlor.

_Please don't follow me, please don't follow me_, Cream silently begged as her ears lifted her off the ground.

During her flight, she kept glancing behind her, and was glad to see that see that no one was in pursuit. Good... Charmy had probably been too busy eating his sundae to notice anything else.

Her ears carried her from the hard, gray concrete of the city sidewalks to hills covered in soft grass and patches of clover and dandelions. While her eyes were busy scanning the ground, her tongue was working on her ice cream, fully enjoying the sweet, cold treat. Finally, she'd come upon the designated meeting space. It was a small clearing in a valley, but lined with deciduous trees so that it was well hidden. As Cream relaxed her ears to decrease her altitude, a disturbed flock of Flickies scattered and took her place in the sky.

Cream's eyes ping-ponged from left to right once she was on the ground, searching behind every tree, trying to make sure that she was alone. Well... she didn't want to be _alone_, just without anyone else but him. Because right now, he was all she wanted and needed.

"Tails?" she called out uneasily, her voice echoing.

Nothing but the silence of the clearing, save for bugs humming, met her call.

_Oh c'mon, I told him I'd meet him here... where is he, I don't have all that much time before Mom calls the freaking police on me... _

"Tails, did you make it?" Cream called out again, still searching all through out the clearing.

Still nothing. She bit her lip in worry. Oh, where could he have gone?

A soft touch on one of her ears caused Cream to gasp, but a smile quickly formed as a hand gently moved the ear from draping down her front to her back. Once the maneuver was complete, Cream spun around to behold her sweet boyfriend, holding his own cone, though his was topped with a green blob.

"Tails!" she exclaimed and enveloped the fox in a warm hug.

He wrapped his own free arm around Cream, and had to laugh a little as he felt Cream's embrace. Their lips met with passionate fury, the coldness melting quickly and the strong flavors of the ice cream fading the more they kissed. The two young lovers let all their pent up emotions release as the dams finally broke. Now that they were in each other's arms, they could finally be free to love and be themselves.

Cream was holding Tails so close to herself, enjoying his lips and embrace, that she ended up squeezing her cone so hard, breaking the sugar cone and dousing her hand in the frozen treat. But the rabbit barely noticed and kept her mind focused on the fox sweetly kissing her in gentle pecks.

"You came," Tails whispered in her ears. "I was afraid Vanilla wouldn't let you go."

"I really wanted to see you...I couldn't wait until Monday," Cream admitted as she studied his cute boyish features.

It was then that she noticed he had a green glob of ice cream on his muzzle. Without hesitating, she puckered her lips and kissed it off of him, only to be rewarded with a distinct taste.

_Mint... I should have known... _she thought as a giggle escaped her.

"What is it?" Tails asked, confused at her laughter.

"You had some ice cream on your face," Cream explained and giggled again as her hands massaged his shoulders.

"Oh..." Tails blushed, but playfully pouted and turned away. "I thought you just wanted to kiss me..."

Cream gasped, and wasted no time in giving him another cute peck. Some of the mint taste lingered, but it paled in comparison to his lips.

"I did want to kiss you..." Cream offered her own pretty pout and showed Tails her sticky hand. "But my own ice cream cone broke."

"Oh," he frowned and turned to look at the blue and pink sticky mess staining the grassy ground, and then looked back at his girl.

"Here, have mine," he offered generously, knowing how much she loved ice cream.

"Oh, thanks Tails," Cream said and happily took the cone, then smiled slyly. "Why don't we share it?"

"If you want to," Tails said kindly, not fully getting what she meant.

Cream lifted the cone up to in between both of them, and stuck out her tongue to gather the minty fresh yet creamy goodness. Grinning a little and finally realizing what she meant, Tails smiled and did the same. Their eager tongues kept working on their own end, trying to finish the ice cream so that at some point, their mouths would meet. Despite the frozen treat, both teens felt their faces heating up the closer they got to each other. At the next lick, their noses made slight contact. Both of their blushes deepened as they noticed they were less than an inch away from a kiss.

There was now only a glob of ice cream left between them, and both teens puckered their lips to allow the thin layer of mint to dissolve and their lips to finally meet in blissful contact.

Tingles ran down Cream's spine as she felt Tails kiss her sweetly and softly, his lips gently sucking her own. Feeling a little daring, Cream gently stuck out her tongue to lick the inside of his lips. Knowing what she wanted and matching her passion, Tails opened up his lips wider, allowing her entrance, and their tongues met in ecstasy. Tails' tongue was soft, and as Cream ran the tip of hers over his, a warm wave of pleasant feelings warmed her whole being. She continued to kiss him deeply until her lungs screamed for air.

"Wow..." Tails panted as he studied her warm brown eyes.

"That felt amazing," Cream agreed and nuzzled back against his warm chest fur.

Tails simply gave her another kiss, but this time on the top of her head.

"You taste better than mint ice cream."

Cream giggled, knowing that was certainly a compliment. "Oh Tails, you're so sweet..."

"Not as sweet as you are," he said lovingly, and pulled her even closer.

Their embrace continued, as the two lovers stood in the middle of an empty clearing, with no one but each other. Both hearts beat at the same rhythm, though it was quicker than usual. The sense of danger and rebellion was always present when they were together, but they were feeling bolder and more daring than usual. It simply added another level to the intense rush of feelings that cascaded through both of their hearts when they were together.

"C'mon, let's fly," Tails said and moved his arms from being wrapped around her to take her hand. "We won't be seen if we're high enough in the sky."

He started spinning his namesakes to lift himself off of the tree branch, and Cream followed suit by putting her ears to work. Within a minute, the two were clasping hands and soaring above the tree tops.

"I still can't believe Mom is dating_ Vector _now," Cream suddenly commented as the two flew right next to each other.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Tails remarked.

"Oh well... at least it means she won't be home as often, and that means..." she turned to smile at Tails. "We get to spend more time together."

Tails smiled back and squeezed her hand. "I won't complain about that."

"Me neither," Cream agreed with a giggle as she turned to look at Tails.

The two weren't all that far apart, and as Cream looked into Tails' brilliant eyes that put the sky to shame, she found herself getting dizzy in the numerous shades of blue. The outer ring of the iris held a deep, almost navy, color, while the main orbs surrounding the pupil were baby blue, though decorated with cerulean flecks. They were gorgeous and captivating; Cream found herself unable to look away from his gaze.

That is, until Tails veiled one eye in a cute wink. "You're it," he teased and then released her hand after a gentle squeeze to zoom off through a nearby cloud.

Cream blinked, but then grinned and gave chase. "You better fly fast, Tails!"

The fox could only laugh as he soared through the sky, more careless and free and happier than a bird. His giddy, giggling girlfriend flew after him, both arms extended to try and catch him. She found herself in awe of how agile he was up here; flying was certainly his preferred method of getting around. But still, Cream was able to touch him after only a little time, and then the roles were reversed. The two played and fooled around until Cream noticed how far the sun had traveled in the sky looming above them.

"Oh, I really have to get home," Cream admitted with a pout as she glanced down at her watch. "Though I just want to stay with you..."

"I know, but I really don't want to get caught," Tails said firmly, and started pulling both of them towards her house.

... & ...

Tails and Cream swooped in for a landing less than a half mile from Cream's house, knowing that she should arrive home by walking to make it less supcious. Knowing that they were about to part ways until Monday afternoon, Cream wanted to take full advantage of him being here now. She pulled him close in a parting hug, and had to smile as she felt his soft, warm tails wrap around her. The fluffy fur brushed against her bare, exposed legs underneath the hem of her dress, and Cream felt a sudden urge in her heart to feel more. Guided by nothing but hormones, Cream let her hands have a mind of their own, stroking the fur on his chest, and then traveled south, caressing his stomach, and then his abs, and then -

"Whoa!" Tails exclaimed, blushing up a storm as he immediately pulled away. "Cream... what are you doing?"

The girl had turned red as well, but she still frowned. "What's wrong?"

Tails was trying to tone down his raging hormones, shoving away all the delicious thoughts that were screaming for attention...

"Cream, uh... we shouldn't... do that yet," he explained, not able to meet her eyes because he was so embarrassed. "Let's not go too fast and be dumb, okay? I don't want to make that same mistake. I don't... want you to be hurt."

Cream didn't know what to say, and her blush had deepened to a deep red cherry hue.

Hearing nothing but silence, Tails finally met her eyes and took her hands. "Please... you understand, right? I care about you... about us..."

"I'm sorry," Cream whispered in shame, as she knew he was right.

"It's okay," Tails said and pulled her back into a warm, innocent and yet loving hug. "I still had fun today... thanks."

"Me too, Tails..." the girl agreed, and then shared a sweet parting kiss with the fox before skipping back home.

... &...

Little did the couple know that their whole outing, their first one out together, had been spied on by the Chaotix.

"What should we do?" Charmy asked, his golden eyes turning to Vector, who was deep in thought.

"Quiet, I'm thinking," Vector snapped and crossed his arms as Cream disappeared into her cottage.

What could he do? He knew that he was going to have to tell Vanilla now; it was his duty, and she had every right to know. Oh, this was going to break her heart so badly. While part of him hated being the one to tell her, most of him was glad, because at least he'd be there to hold her, while she cried over her lost sheep...

Although... well, the crocodile wasn't sure what to think about the situation himself. While watching the two of them have fun, laughing, and flirting, Vector had been filled with mixed emotions. Part of him hadn't seen anything wrong with what they were doing; they were just kids enjoying each other. They weren't doing anything wrong; in fact, Vector had seen Tails put Cream back in line when she had tried to go too far. Heck, he'd wanted to stop both of them himself, if Espio hadn't calmly said, "_No, we have to let them decide. We can't interfere... Cream is not your daughter, Vector."_

Indeed, she wasn't his own daughter, but her mother had become very special to the croc. And so, even though he didn't want to... he knew that he was going to have to break the news to Vanilla that her daughter was indeed running around and disobeying her.

"Well boys..." the crocodile sighed. "Let's go finish this business."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This chapter feels like it's missing something, but I"m going to post it, because gosh darnit, it's been driving me BANANAS all week! And I know the transitions are bad. I didn't know what else to add. Sad. Okay, enough rhyming from me...

And that whole part at the end of the date was... awkward, yes, but necessary. Sorry for those of you who never read that stuff (I know this is only rated K plus). I just wanted to show one thing: Tails is not Sonic. *cringe* Okay, let me phrase that better: they've learned from their role models' mistake. Now they may be disobeying Vanilla, but at least they know how far is too far, at this stage. Or atleast Tails does. So YAY for making the wise decision and saying no! Tails is awesome in that way, protecting both of them. Now, see, I could've had the whole deja vu thing... but honestly, as I said, Tails is not Sonic, it's not the same dynamic there and I couldn't picture Tails doing that. *cringe* I dunno. Man, I really need some sleep that won't come until I update...

I'm still happy with where this story is going, so I'll end off on a positive note and *finally* update this story...


	8. Plain Vanilla

AutoKnight01, Vyvyan the Rabbit, Tyranifex, Novus Umbra, MKSfan14, enustiKehTelkcaJ, bk00, Writer's Freedom, The UltimaXtreme, Whinnie, TrumpetGirl818, holospartoi258, Jonman14, 01sonamy01, BlissofAnAngel, Trinita, Mana the Cat Magician, SkulY2K, Black Nomad, Delta 2-1:

Chapter 8: Plain Vanilla

* * *

"Mom! I'm home!" Cream loudly called out as she slipped back inside and headed for her room.

Vanilla looked up from her the billing envelopes she was filling out to smile at her daughter. The earlier talk with Vector had calmed her nerves, and Cream sure did look happy now._ See, there's nothing to worry about her going out once in awhile... as long as she's not seeing a boy... _

"Alright, honey. Did you have fun?"

Cream paused at the bottom of the stairs and nodded, grinning. "Yeah... it really is a nice day outside, and of course the ice cream was delicious. Anyway, I'm going to run upstairs and finish up the last of my homework."

"Go ahead," Vanilla said with a smile, glad that Cream was taking on that responsibility.

She picked up her pen again to finish writing down her address, but only got the first letter down before her door was assaulted again.

_Oh, who could that be? I'm not expecting anyone. Sonic and Amy with the baby news? _Vanilla wondered as she stood up. She peeked through the small hole in the door to catch a glimpse of her visitor, only for a pleasant blush to warm her face.

"Vector!" Vanilla happily exclaimed as she beheld him. "Well, this is a surprise!"

All the joy melted off her face, however, as she noticed the deadpan expression on her boyfriend's.

"Miss Vanilla, I would like a word with you," Vector said seriously as Charmy and Espio appeared on either side of him. For once, all three detectives looked solemn.

Cold fingers of dread squeezed at Vanilla's heart as she realized this would not be a happy meeting. She blinked a few times and bit her lip in worry. "Is this about Cream?" she whispered.

Vector gave a firm nod, and Vanilla's heart dropped again. _Don't tell me she was out doing something just now... _ "Okay, come in."

The four of them headed for the spacious living room; Vector sat near Vanilla on the loveseat, knowing that he wanted to be near her, while Espio and Charmy wordlessly split the couch. Vanilla swallowed in nervousness, her hands brushed over her dress to remove invisible lint, until she felt one of them encased by a strong grip. Vector's large hand gave her more feminine one a small squeeze in comfort.

"What did she do?" Vanilla asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"As soon as I got off the phone with you, Charmy called me and said he saw Cream rushing out of an ice cream parlor. Knowing that we were told to keep an eye on her, Charmy followed after her from a distance to see where she was going. He finally caught up with her in the middle of a clearing south of Frog Forest."

_Frog Forest.._. Vanilla furrowed her brow. That was far away... had Cream flown the whole way? "What did she do there?"

"We saw her meet up with a boy," Vector said softly, looking right into Vanilla's eyes and gripping her hand even more tightly.

_No... not a boy... not a date.._. The mother gasped. "Who was it?" she asked in hushed tones.

"Tails."

For five full seconds, Vanilla didn't move, and simply looked vacantly into Vector's chocolate brown eyes until they were blurry. "Are you sure?"

The crocodile nodded. "I'm sure, I saw them with my own eyes."

_Tails_. Vanilla felt her stomach turn into knots of nauseous dread, and she had to look away. She'd always trusted the fox, and thought that he was a sweet boy... Cream really had been seeing him behind her back? Oh, how had she not even noticed? Was she really being that neglectful of her daughter's activities?

_You should have seen this coming, Vanilla... _her conscience whispered_. When you were worried earlier, it was for a good reason. _

She swallowed, trying to get a grip on herself, and turned back to Vector, who hadn't said another word. "What did they do?" she was almost scared of the answer.

Feeling like he was tattling, Vector hesitated for a moment, but then continued, knowing this was all part of the job. Still, he couldn't help but blush as he recounted their events. "I saw them share their ice cream cones and then... they kissed." He paused to catch Vanilla's reaction, though it was just a subtle frown. "After this, they went flying together, and that's when Charmy followed them." Vector turned to his colleague.

The bee piped up, "Yeah, they flew around and played tag up there, chasing each other. And they kissed. A lot. Making out, really."

Vanilla suddenly slumped into her seat, looking down at the carpeted floor, the wheels in her mind turning. Then a sudden burst of anger caught her heart, and she stood straight up, her eyes blazing as she regarded the stairs.

"Cream the Rabbit!" she angrily called up to her daughter. "Come down here this instant!"

The rabbit in question, who meanwhile had been sitting with her ear pressed to the air vent and eavesdropping, cursed in her head. _Dang it! Why did Charmy have to be there? He ruined everything! They had no right to spy on me and Tails, it's none of their business!_

_Oh... but I'm going to get in so much trouble now..._

_I shouldn't be in trouble, I wasn't doing anything wrong!_

Her heart racing, Cream lifted herself up and skipped down the stairs, every step her mood alternating from guilt to defiance. Her feet hit the landing, she met her mother's fiery eyes with an audacious look.

"Yes mom?" she asked, her voice wavering a little.

Vanilla approached her daughter, her face level. Cream immediately felt hot tears prick at her eyes, though she was trying desperately to maintain a bold, casual expression.

"Cream," her voice was low and dead serious. "Come with me."

She slipped her hand around Cream's arm and led the teenager to another room, out of earshot of the detectives.

"What is it?" Cream asked when they were alone, her fear beginning to shine through.

"Vector told me that he saw you just a few hours ago, alone with a boy," Vanilla said sternly, her eyes locked onto her daughter's.

Cream kept her lips firmly pressed together, though a guilty blush reddened her face.

"Is this true? Have you been seeing a boy when I specifically told you not to?"

Their eyes kept locked into a death stare until Cream finally broke it and looked at the floor, muttering "How could you expect me to keep that dumb rule?"

"So it's true then? You've been seeing Tails?" Vanilla pressed.

Knowing that she really had nothing to gain by lying, Cream squinted up her face and eyed her mother again, desperately sputtering. "Yeah... but how could I _not_! The rule was dumb in the _first place_! And I've liked Tails for_ forever_! Besides, _you're_ being a hypocrite by dating_ Vector_-"

"Cream," Vanilla warned her.

The teenager continued yelling. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong! We're just being normal teenagers! Here's news for you Mom, I'm not six years old anymore!"

Vanilla's blood was boiling. "_Cream the Rabbit_," she growled with clenched teeth. "You've deliberately disobeyed me."

"Don't do that to me! It doesn't matter!" Cream screamed at her mother and then turned on her heel, her eyes filling up with tears. _Oh, now I'm never going to get to see Tails again... Mom's gonna lock me up at home for the rest of my life... _

"Don't turn away when I'm talking to you!" Vanilla yelled, but as her angry tone settled, she felt her heart ache. How she hated yelling at her daughter... even if it was for her own good...

"Why does it matter, you don't love me anyway! You just wanna keep me cooped up in here and become a perfect version of yourself!" Cream snapped, her back still turned as she started running back up to her room. She'd run away... yes, that was the only thing she could do. She couldn't stand to spend another night in her mother's house.

"Cream!" Vanilla chased after her daughter, but Cream's young, strong legs carried her quickly up the stairs, and Vanilla was rudely met with a door slam to the face.

She breathed hard for a second before her thoughts turned to Cream's next move. The window, she realized and raced back downstairs to the Chaotix, who had heard the whole exchange.

"Can one of you make sure she doesn't fly out the window?" Vanilla pleaded, her eyes huge.

Vector looked at his co-workers and gave orders. "Espio, Charmy, go outside her window and don't let her out."

"No problem," Espio said and ran out the door with Charmy on his heels.

Vanilla watched the chameleon and bee leave to take care of her daughter, and then she tuned back to Vector in despair. But even his warm smile and even warmer hug did nothing to soothe her aching heart. She nuzzled against his smooth scales, and was thankful that for how big and strong he was as she felt his arms soothe her back.

"Vector..." she whispered as her eyes starting filling up. "What now...?"

... & ...

"What do you mean she found out?" Tails asked desperately into the phone. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I mean that someone was following us on our date," Cream said with a sniffle. "They told her... and she yelled at me. Now she's gonna keep me on an even tighter leash. I tried to run away but I was stopped by Charmy and Espio. So I'm stuck in my room waiting for mom to come chew me out again..."

Tails didn't answer at first, as his mind was already on the implications. Vanilla had found out..._ crap_. He _knew_ that they shouldn't have gone outside on a real date. He knew that they would get caught. So why had he agreed to it again? Now that Vanilla knew, there was no way that he would be able to come within a hundred mile radius of that place.

"Cream... does that mean... " he didn't want to say it. He really didn't. He didn't want to even think about it.

"Does that mean what?"

But it looked like he was gonna have to. "That we're... done?"

It was as if a sword had ripped through Cream's chest. "No," she immediately said, but her mind was gently reminding her that they couldn't do anything now.

"What do you wanna do?" Tails asked.

"I don't know... but I don't want to give up... "

Tails shook his head and let out a sigh, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, Cream, but... there's no way we can do anything now... I'm sorry, it's been fun, but... "

"No, please, Tails!" Cream whispered loudly.

"I'm sorry!" the fox yelled and slammed his phone off. The little device slipped out of his hands and was repalced by his wet face. _Oh, everything was going so well, we were so happy... and then in one fell swoop... she's taken from me. Why? Why... Why can't I ever actually keep a girl?Why do they always have to be taken...? _

Almost by instinct, he peeked through the cracks in his fingers to notice a certain plant sitting calmly in a corner, almost taunting him.

_No!_

_I can't stay here and cry... I won't do it... I need some fresh air...  
_

Tails forced himself to stand, hearing his legs pop as he stood up. He made his way to the door, prepared to run, but instead ended up smacking into a cobalt blue hedgehog. Blinking, Tails looked up to see four Hedgehogs on his front porch; Sonic and Amy looking stern, the latter gripping the two toddler's hands.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

"We just got a call from Vanilla," Sonic explained, his green eyes cool.

Tails' eyes got huge, and he tried darting away - only for Sonic to zoom in front of his path. "You're not going anywhere, buddy."

"I thought you'd have my back," Tails muttered and looked away in shame, still feeling betrayed.

"Listen, little bro-"

"Don't call me that, you're not even my real brother!" Tails hissed at his best friend.

The words were worse than a punch to the stomach to Sonic, but the hedgehog held his ground and gripped Tails' arm.

"I may not be your real brother, but I"m the only thing you have. Now listen, if I've learned anything in my twenty-two years, it's that running away will not solve any problems. Now c'mon, let's go talk with Vanilla."

The foxes stomach fell through the ground. That was the last thing he wanted to do! He tried wiggling out of his grip to no avail. "Sonic..."

"Tails, we're going. Don't make me _drag_ you over there, you know I will."

"Why are you siding with her?" he grumbled.

"Who said I was? But we need you there so we can work this out."

... & ...

"What should I do?" Vanilla whispered to all the adults for whom she'd asked advice.

Vector, Espio, Sonic, and Amy stood with her, trying to help her reason out the correct punishment while Charmy, Tails, Cream, and the hedgehog twins waited in another room. "I can't even keep track of my own daughter, I'm such a terrible mother, aren't I...?"

"No, Cream's just a teenager," Vector said. "It's not your fault, Vanilla."

"It is..." she disagreed. "I didn't realize that by preventing her from dating, I'd be tempting her more. When I told he she couldn't date, it only increased the desire to do so... But what should I do now? I can't just let her get off with nothing, then I would be an even worse mother."

"Indeed, she disobeyed you," Espio finally spoke. "If you let her off without discipline, she will start to think she can get away with anything, leading to lawlessness."

"Bah," Sonic interrupted. "I say just let her off, it's not like she did anything super bad."

"Sonic!" Amy scolded her husband and slapped him. "Don't listen to him, Vanilla. You should definitely discipline her. But I wouldn't be too harsh... after all, she was just following her heart."

Vanilla eyed the hedgehog couple, just then realizing something. She turned to Vector, who merely shook his head.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do..." he muttered.

She reached to take his hand. "But what if I _want_ to make it your place?"

They both blushed, and Vector slowly raised his eyes up to meet hers. "It's still not... she's your daughter, Vanilla. This is between you and her. You have to be the one to make this decision."

Her heart warm and beating wildly as she looked at Vector, Vanilla slowly realized what she was going to have to do... something she should have done long ago.

"Thank you, all of you..." she whispered. "But I think I'm ready to talk to Cream."

... & ...

"Cream, have I ever told you about your father?" Vanilla asked kindly, a small smile on her face.

The rabbit shook her head, and her trembling stilled just a little. "I know you're divorced."

"I never told you why I married him, have I?"

Cream blinked, not sure where this was going.

The mother looked away as if she was remembering something important. "I married him because he was my everything, he was my lover. I didn't think I could live without him. He had my heart, my mind, my soul... and my body. He was my other half, and completed me. I loved him with everything I had, and I was sure that we would stay together for the rest of our lives."

She paused, and Cream blinked again, still unsure what this was about.

"To this day, I still miss him, Cream. The times get less and less, but I still think about him. When he broke my heart and essentially told me he didn't love me anymore, I was just so devastated. I'd given hm my everything, and he wasn't willing to even try and make it work. He'd just left me alone, when you were still an infant. And so I found myself in a role that I'd always looked down upon: a single mother. I made do and put a smile on, but I wasn't happy... there was still a hole in my heart, Cream."

"Then, when Amy told me her story, it had reopened all of those wounds, about men wooing women and then leaving them alone and pregnant... my recent experiences with men and romantic love and relationships was only the pain they could bring... and I'd forgotten just how wonderful love could be."

"But then," her smiled widened, "Vector reminded me how much we all need love, and someone to help us out and support us. He reminded me that love is never something to be shunned. And seeing how happy Sonic and Amy are with their new child, even though they got off to a rough start as well, reminded me of the same thing... that and..." Vanilla reached behind her to pull out a long scrap of paper. Cream gasped as she realized what that was and all the blood drained from her face.

"This is so beautiful, and it brought back memories... I almost couldn't believe it when Charmy showed me what he found in your room..." Vanilla drifted off as she read over the love poem again.

.

_I see you right before me_  
_ My rare and lovely prize_  
_It's for you that my heart aches _  
_I cherish the love in your eyes_

_Your lips smile at me_  
_ Then converge onto mine_  
_ I feel your lips caressing my own_  
_ I get chills up my spine_

_ You are so sweet my love_  
_ You are better than my dreams_  
_ Everything you whisper is full of truth_  
_ And you make me feel serene_

_.  
_

Vanilla read the note over and over, and something stirred in her heart. The handwriting wasn't the flowery loops of cursive that Cream used, and instead was in print, small and precise. But the obvious emotion behind the words was evident.

Cream felt indignant that her mother had read such intimate words, as they were supposed to be for her eyes only.

"Beautiful..." Vanilla added with a sigh and handed the poem back to the original receiver. "So Cream, I completely understand why you ran away to see Tails... a love like that is hard to find and should be cherished... even at your age. And you probably didn't feel like you were getting any love from me, either. So part of this is my fault, because when I told you you couldn't date... it only increased those desires."

With those words, Cream felt her heart calm down. _Is she going to let me off the hook now?_

"Now all that being said, dear" Cream's stomach dropped down again. "You have still disobeyed me. While I understand why you did, it doesn't change that fact one bit. I told you no dating and seeing boys, and you defied me and did it anyway."

"I know, I'm sorry..." Cream muttered.

"I would be a bad mother if I let you off without any sort of punishment... but I would be an even worse mother if I punished you for seeking what we all need. So here's what I've decided."

"First of all, I'm going to try and become a better mother for you. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me, I want you to be able to tell me anything. I want to be there for you. But still, no dating until you're sixteen. I'm not changing my mind on that aspect. _However, _I will still let you see Tails, or any other boy. He can come over, and you two can be alone, as long as I'm somewhere in the house and you two leave the door open. And only on weekends, after you've done all of your homework and chores. In fact, I'm going to be putting you in charge of more chores. Also, the only person you can now call on your cell phone is me. No one else; that's your major punishment. Is that a deal?"

Not believing she was getting that lucky and still able to see Tails, Cream nodded. "Wow... thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, dear," Vanilla's eyes became misty as she placed her hand on top of her daughter's. "I know that you're growing up and I can only hold onto you for so long. I want you to become your own person and to experience life... but I want you to remember that you'll always be my daughter, my little girl... and I want you to be safe... but also happy."

Now it was Cream's eyes that were getting wet. Slowly, she stood up and then wrapped her arms around her mother, just now remembering how nice it felt to hug her.

"And one more thing, Cream... keep him sending those lovely letters."

The teenager blushed, but still hugged her mother. "I will..."

The two rabbits exited from their private talk back into the main hall. As soon as the door swung open, Cream's eyes immediately searched for a pair of anxious blue ones. As soon as she saw her crush, a grin overcame her face. Oh, Cream couldn't wait to tell him...

Upon seeing Cream was happy, the rest of the inhabitants let out a sigh of relief.

"Man, I thought someone was gonna die," Charmy spoke for everyone.

"You honestly thought that Vanilla would resort to violence?" Espio shot him a disbelieving glance.

"No... but it woulda been cool, though..." the bee said and laughed.

"So everything's settled, then?" Vector asked in his big, booming voice, his eyes watching Tails and Cream just look at each other in disbelief.

Vanilla nodded and sneaked over to stand next to him.

"Daddy, when's lil bro coming out?" Chase suddenly asked as he pulled on his father's leg.

"Chase! You weren't sposed to tell anyone," Sierra snapped at her brother with a pout.

"Another son?" Vanilla asked with a smile.

"Yeah.. Sierra's just upset because she wanted a sister," Amy explained and stroked Sierra's quills.

"She doesn't need to be," Sonic said, that famous cheeky grin on his face. "Who says this has to be our last kid?"

Amy's eyes immediately lit up and she eagerly turned to her husband. "Oh Sonic,_ really_? You do want more?"

"Well, let's just focus on this little guy for now, okay? But you _bet _I'm up for more," Sonic gave Amy a playful wink, and it was all the pink hedgehog could do to keep from squealing. "But anyway, let's get outta here." He gathered his pregnant wife into his arms. "Chase, Sierra, let's run, guys!"

"Thank you, Mr. Sonic!" Vanilla called out before the Hedgehogs ran away.

"Well, I guess I'll be going. C'mon Charmy," Espio beckoned his colleague off.

Vector and Vanilla exchanged smiles and then conveniently left a certain fox and rabbit alone in the hall.

Blue and brown eyes met for one giddy instant, the two not believing their luck, until they both sprang towards the other, emitting nothing but happiness. Tails and Cream wanted nothing more than to hug and touch each other, if just to make sure that this was really happening, and they could still be together, in their own way.

"Cream, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hang up on you," he apologized as he rested his forehead against hers. One of his hands found it's way up to caress her soft face. "I really didn't, I wanted to stay with you, but I didn't know what to -"

"Oh, Tails, please stop talking and just kiss me," Cream said firmly and puckered her lips out invitingly.

Tails didn't have to stop and think about that one. He smiled and leaned into her warm mouth. "If you insist..."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

WHAT, did you think I was dead? He he he, you can't get rid of me that easily... :) Truth is work and school and other junk... y'all know the drill.

Anyway, I really want this story to be done with _now_, (it should have been done two weeks ago, but I couldn't muster the effort) but an epilogue is certainly in the works, because it will really tie this whole story and series together. It won't be very long, though... only other thing I'll say is... if you're a big TailsxCream fan... *nods and smiles*

So stay tuned. If it takes me more than three days to write it..._ someone_ come harass me and strap me to my desk to get me to finish this story. Thanks!


	9. Epilogue

Tyranifex, AutoKnight01, Novus Umbra, BlissofAnAngel, Jonman14, Trinita, Writer's Freedom, enustiKehTelkcaJ, bk00, MKSfan14, TrumpetGirl818, cookythefoxcat, SkulY2K, Vyvyan the Rabbit, Black Nomad, SherryBlossom, Koollolly, TheUltimaXtreme, holospartoi258, Ahensiek, poka, Skyelara, SophietheBat:

Okay, so I took twice as long, and it's only half as much as I originally wanted... but it's done, and I'm happy with it. Enjoyz :)

Epilogue

.

Far In the Future...

* * *

"They're so precious..."

The words escaped a mother's lips, though she wasn't referring to her own children. Though it would only be a few more months before she could be.

"They are adorable," Amy agreed as she watched her three children run around Vector and Vanilla's back garden with their father.

New pink and white blossoms blooming in the trees above them swayed in the breeze, scattering colorful petals around the four energetic hedgehogs as well as Amy and the older couple.

"Why don't you join them?" Vector asked, cocking his large head in curiosity.

"Normally I would, but..." Amy smiled darkly. "I'm not feeling up to it today."

Her and Vanilla exchanged knowing, secretive glances, and this time Vector had the sense to keep his large mouth shut. Though he certainly could detect what she was talking about.

"They're growing up so fast, though... little Ray is already almost five..." Amy commented as she noticed her youngest son, a plum hued hedgehog, trying to catch up with his twin siblings.

"Just wait until they're teenagers," Vanilla joked and took a sip of tea.

"That won't be 'til far in the future," Amy said fondly. "Now, I'm just going to sit and enjoy it. But enough about me, Vanilla!" she gestured to the rabbit's growing stomach and then grinned up at Vector.

Luckily for the crocodile he didn't have to be subject to Amy's probing because shouts of "Uncle Tails!" pierced the air and interrupted the pink hedgehog.

"Oh, they sure do love him," Vanilla commented and smiled as the young fox descended from the air and was attacked by his niece and nephews clinging to his legs.

"Hey guys," the fox said nervously and put his hands on their crazy quills. "I only have two legs, you know..."

Sonic started snickering and Tails shot him a dirty look before glancing over at Vector and Vanilla, who were lounging underneath the trees bordering the garden. His heart jumped and a nervous feeling gripped his stomach.

_Oh man... this is gonna be hard... but you know what... I want to do it. I love Cream... and this is just the more formal step. Besides, I'm an adult now... have a job, and I'm ready for this... ready as I'll ever be... _

"Alright you guys, let Uncle Tails go," Sonic told his kids, and they obeyed their father. The older hedgehog knowingly locked eyes with his younger brother and gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

"You can do it, little bro," he said before turning to play with his kids again.

I sure hope so, Tails thought before once again turning back to Vector and Vanilla. He swallowed his nervousness, lifted his head up, and headed over to where they were sitting. The closer he walked to them, the more his blue eyes were drawn to the pair of rings on each of their fingers, and his heart skipped in anticipation.

Finally, he was standing right in front of them.

"Well hello there Tails," Vanilla drawled. She had a vague feeling of what this was about.

"Hey buddy, what've you been up to?" Vector asked in his overly friendly manner.

"Hi Tails," Amy said with an oblivious smile. She was probably the only one clueless of what was going on.

Tails shifted his weight from one foot to the other but then spoke in a confident voice. "I came to ask you two something..."

As soon as she heard thoise words, Vanilla knew, and her eyes misted up from happiness and nostalgia. She looked over at her husband only to see his intelligent eyes already on hers, nodding his approval.

... & ...

"Well, I knew that you loved that place, but I know you're going to love _this_ even more..." Tails said while shooting his girlfriend a grin and squeezing her hand.

The young couple was leaving The Gazebo after a very romantic dinner and was now headed off to a special place that Tails refused to reveal. The spring night was cool and crisp, but Cream was comfortable in just a simple short chiffon dress. As the two walked along, Cream was trying to look at their surroundings to figure out where Tails had in mind, but kept coming up empty.

"If you say so... I'll believe it," Cream said and squeezed his hand back.

"I'm glad you have faith in me," Tails responded.

"Well I should... we've been together for... how long _have_ we been dating?" Cream asked, tilting her head cutely.

"Officially, or non officially?"

"Oh you're so specific," Cream giggled.

"Well, technically, we've been 'going out' for only two years..."

"Yeah, but we've been seeing each other much longer," Cream said and turned to steal a quick, sweet kiss from his lips.

The fox stopped walking in surprise but by the time he realized what happened, Cream had already pulled back. He pouted, but then leaned forward to breathe against her lips, "It's still not long enough..."

Their lips met again, this time in passionate fury. Tails pressed his lips strongly against Cream's, kissing her in longing and need. His hands found their way to her slender waist to add to his desires. With every further kiss, his heart kept beating more quickly, until it felt like it would slam out of his ribcage. Panting from the rush, he finally had to pull away. The two locked eyes in love and passion.

"You really know how to kiss," was all Cream could say before she nuzzled against his shoulder.

The two resumed their walk through the city, eventually leading to the outskirts. Hard, bumpy sidewalks turned into grass and fields as a softer cushion for the couples' feet. Above them, the sky held a beautiful canopy of stars and an almost full moon. Cream was trying to enjoy the atmosphere, but noticed Tails kept glancing down at his high-tech watch.

"What is it, Tails?" she asked him.

"Um... nothing, you'll see in a second," Tails responded, and picked up the pace a little.

_Is he just anxious to get out of here? Maybe he's tired... oh but I don't want to part ways for the night just yet... and why does his grip on my hand feel so tense?_

They walked until they reached an open Chao Garden, surrounded by a meadow of flowers. Since it was dark, the Chao were sleeping peacefully and the flowers were just vague, shadowy forms. Nevertheless, Tails led them to a bench to sit and cuddle for a moment.

"Trust me, there's a reason that I brought us to a dark location," The fox tried to explain, though his eyes were trained to his watch.

"Is there something wrong?" Cream whispered.

"Urh, not really..." he said and swallowed nervously.

_Come on, you're running late, it's going to happen in two minutes, you have to start now so that the timing is perfect... oh but that means, I got to..._

"Um... actually..." Tails cleared his throat. "I sorta wanted to give you something."

Cream cocked her head in curiosity. "What is it?"she asked, when suddenly Tails extended a small, delicate flower bud right under her nose. She inhaled the sweet scent and smile. "Wow... thanks Tails..."

"You're welcome... it's called a Luna flower, it only blooms at the exact moment that the moon is perfectly full," Tails explained, one blue eye trained to the sky. "Which should be any second..."

Cream smiled and kept staring at the small flower in her hand. In this light it was impossible to tell even what color it was, though it looked to be either a purple or dark blue. The petals were tightly folded together, resulting in a tightly closed bud. It looked impenetrable, like it was guarding something priceless.

"It will only open at the right time," Tails explained in a shaky voice. He was sweating bullets, hoping beyond hope that this would work out perfectly...

A few more seconds passed by, and Cream looked up from the flower bud to the moon, which looked to be as full as ever, and then back to Tails.

"Just one more second..." Tails said, and looked back down at his watch which told him everything from the atmospheric pressure at that location to the moon phases to the time.

Cream waited patiently for a little while longer when to her delight, the petals started unfolding right in front of her eyes. Cream watched them expand and grow and had to gasp in surprise at the lovely thing she was able to experience. The flower was utterly gorgeous; the petals cascaded out from the center simliar to a rose but gave a wider base. The center of the Luna flower held ... wait, something round and _shiny_? She lifted the flower closer to her face to inspect it better, only for her eyes to grow in shock.

_No... is that...? _

"Tails..."

The fox took her free hand with one of his and with his spare, dislodged the engagement ring from inside the petals and held it up to her. Even in the dark night, the love reflected in that gaze was unmistakable.

"Cream, I've come to love you more than anything over the past few years, and there's no one else I want to spend the rest of my life with. But I wanted to wait until just the right time to ask you this..." he paused and lifted the ring to her. "Will you marry me, Cream?"

"Yes," she whispered without any hesitation and wrapped him in a hug. Their lips met almost by instinct, but inbetween kisses, Cream managed to say, "Oh... I love you Tails... thank you for asking... there's nothing that I want more than this... I'm so happy..."

"I love you too, Cream... me too..." Tails said and then melted into his fiancee's lips.

... & ...

The End

... & ...

If you didn't get what the first part of the chapter was about, it was Tails asking Vanilla and Vector if he could ask Cream to marry him. I thought it'd be a nice touch since this whole story was about Vanilla's reluctance to give her daughter away... and the fact that Tails thought to ask her (like a man would do traditionally) was just a nice way to end it... plus I got to show how the Hedgies are doing (very well)... and yeah, Vector and Vanilla are now married. :)

The second part... c'mon, it was ROMANTIC. I have a feeling it's been done before (hiding a ring in a flower), but I don't really care. And it feels terribly rushed, but I don't think I can add anything else... it's just a simple epilogue. ^_^

If you're wondering if this series is over... well, I don't know, honestly. I really don't want to leave it behind, I like thinking of the characters as one big continuous timeline of what could realistically happen in the future. This series started out as a one night stand... funny how that happens, so much can come from one little thing... and it eventually led up to marriage for Sonic and Amy, and then Vanilla's reluctance to let Cream date... and now... everyone's happy. :)

Anyway... for now, the series is done. Not to say I won't pick it back up, with adding other couples in this same style and timeline, but now... I got some older stories I need to finish... *smiles*But you can check my profile for that info...

Thanks everyone! Catch ya on the flip side, guys and gals...

~SilverDawn~


End file.
